Wilmette Police: 22 Unlocked Vehicles Burgled In One Day

WILMETTE, IL — Police are seeking information from the public about a series of vehicle burglaries reported Friday in Wilmette. One vehicle was stolen and later recovered in Chicago, and an investigation uncovered a total of 22 burglaries to unlocked vehicles parked in the street or in driveways, according to Wilmette police.

A resident in the 700 block of Lacrosse Avenue called police about a vehicle burglary in progress around 4:49 a.m., police said. As officers arrived, three vehicles sped away from the scene.

As police searched the area, they noticed many vehicles had been opened and rummaged through. Nothing was taken from most of them, although police said three men's suits were stolen from one of them, and a set of house keys were stolen from another.

Surveillance video recorded by a resident showed a group of people trying doors of parked cars while two vehicles followed close behind, according to police.

Officers found an abandoned vehicle in the middle of the street in the 600 block of Lacrosse Avenue, police said. They found it had been stolen from Lake County with the keys inside.

Police said a brown Chrysler that fled the scene when they first arrived was later found by Skokie police. It had been left at the intersection of Oakton Avenue and Skokie Boulevard and reported stolen from Indiana.

A black Volvo sedan seen on surveillance video has yet to be recovered, according to Wilmette police.

Just one vehicle, a silver Mercedes, was reported stolen from Wilmette.

Police said a resident in the 700 block of Lamon Avenue reported a vehicle had been stolen after being left unlocked with a key fob inside. It was one of the vehicles seen fleeing when police first arrived and was later recovered by Chicago police in the 5500 block of South Racine Avenue.

Wilmette police urged residents to remember to lock their cars and remove their keys, as car thieves target unlocked vehicles for theft and may enter homes if garage door openers are left inside. Anyone with any information concerning these crimes has been asked to contact the Wilmette Police Department at 847-256-1200.

Top photo via Shutterstock