Burglary Attempt Foiled By Security Measures At Northbrook Dealership

NORTHBROOK, IL — Serhii Shelep is suggesting local business owners be proactive when it comes to security measures. The co-owner of Carneed said a group of individuals attempted to burglarize the business early Thursday. Though they were unsuccessful in stealing any vehicles from the used car dealership at 3160 Commercial Ave., they did get inside the business by forceful entry through the garage door.

"There is a noticeable increase in such activities in our dealership and other local businesses, causing us to feel concerned for our safety," Shelep told Patch. "As a business owner, we expect local police departments to implement additional measures to prevent future incidents."

Shelep and Eli Reznik opened Carneed in 2020. This marks the second such occurrence for the business, the first happening several years ago at a previous dealership facility in Glenview.

According to Shelep, the latest incident occurred at 2:51 a.m. Thursday, when the group drove up to Carneed in a 2012/2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The five individuals were wearing masks and forcefully entered through the garage door. Three members of the group entered the main office, searching for keys, while the other two inspected cars and attempted to start them.

"Fortunately, they were unable to locate the keys, securely stored in a dedicated space," said Shelep, who believes the group showed they were familiar with the layout of the dealership.

After about five to six minutes, the group left. Shelep said he received a call from the Northbrook Police Department at 3 a.m. informing him of the situation and arrived at the dealership shortly thereafter to assist with the investigation.

A representative of the police department told Patch "due to the quick response by the officers, they [the group] fled the area before any of the cars were taken."

"They have been highly supportive throughout the investigation, collaborating with us to ensure all necessary actions are taken to apprehend the culprits and prevent future occurrences," Shelep said of Northbrook police.

Shelep believes sharing Carneed's insights on security practices and lessons learned from this experience could be beneficial to other local businesses and the community.

"From our end to prevent future break-ins, we've implemented an alarm system with cameras, ensured keys are stored in a secure area, equipped every car with GPS tracking, and on specific models, enabled the ability to remotely cut off power in case of theft," Shelep said. "These measures are recommended for other dealerships and local business owners."

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