New Lenox Salon Among Dozens Targeted in Burglary Spree

Several south suburban salons have been just a few of nearly 75 in the last six months to be targeted in burglaries in Chicago and the suburbs.

Jeffrey LaMorte Salon and Day Spa has been hit twice by the thieves being dubbed the “beauty bandits”—at both its Frankfort and Lemont locations.

A man can be seen holding a flashlight and rifling through the cash register at the Frankfort location, owner Jeffrey LaMorte told ABC-7.

“He didn’t get much, and he was gone in four minutes,” LaMorte said. “Just boom, right in, rifled through everything, kind of a little bit of a process, and out.”

The heists have been pulled off by a group of white men in their late teens or early 20s who appear to be driving a dark, midsize four-door sedan.. There have been more than 75 reports in the city and suburbs since August 2015. Police have said the culprits appear to lurk until the salons are closed and empty, then smashing a window to make their way inside.

Communities hit have been Algonquin, Arlington Heights, Barrington, Batavia, Buffalo Grove, Cary, Chicago, Crystal Lake, Deerfield, Downers Grove, Evanston, Frankfort, Glenview, Gurnee, Highland Park, Lake Zurich, Lemont, Libertyville, Kildeer, Naperville, New Lenox, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Oak Brook, Palatine, Roselle, Shorewood, Skokie, Vernon Hills, Wheeling and Wilmette.

Police are urging salons to focus on security and remove cash from their businesses overnight. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information about the two men.