Two instances of mail theft have occurred in Oak Park in a span of six days in recent weeks.
The first happened at 11:58 a.m. on Feb. 7, when a man was observed removing two bundles of mail out of an unattended United States Postal Service cart in the 300 block of North Maple Avenue.
About a week later, on Feb. 13, at 2:51 p.m., a similar incident occurred in the 800 block of South Scoville Avenue, where a man was observed removing pieces of mail from a USPS cart left on the sidewalk. A neighbor called the police.
The man fled on foot eastbound on Harrison Street.
Theft
- A person took a black 2011 Honda CRV, with the keys inside of it, which was parked in the 500 block of North Grove Avenue sometime between 5:45 p.m. and 9:27 p.m. on Feb. 8.
Chicago police recovered the vehicle in the 5900 block of West Cortland Street, Chicago, at 7:10 p.m. on Feb. 13.
- Someone stole an unlocked and unattended Toyota Camry that was left running in the 600 block of Garfield Street on Feb. 14 between 7:35 and 7:38 a.m. Police estimate a loss of $10,000.
- Someone stole a black Nokia cellular phone and a pack of cigarettes out of a suitcase belonging to a homeless woman who was asleep in the 300 block of North Oak Park Avenue between 10 p.m. on Feb. 13 and 5 a.m. on Feb. 14. The estimated loss is $415.
Criminal damage to property
- Someone used a BB gun to shoot a car’s front windshield, damaging it, sometime between 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 and 10 a.m. on Feb. 9 in the 800 block of South Austin Boulevard. It will take an estimated $600 to repair the damage.
- All four tires of a Bolingbrook resident’s vehicle were punctured while it was parked in the 800 block of South Oak Park Avenue sometime between midnight on Feb. 4 and 4:48 a.m. on Feb. 9. The estimated damage is $500.
- Someone broke the bedroom window of a residence in the 400 block of South Maple Avenue at 9:57 a.m. on Feb. 9. The offender fled in a charcoal-colored Nissan Sentra.
- A young woman damaged a Chicago resident’s vehicle after hitting it with baseball bat, resulting in two dents to the vehicle’s rear hatch, at 4:13 p.m. on Feb. 14 in the 6800 block of North Avenue.
The offender reportedly struck the vehicle in retaliation after being involved in a traffic accident with the Chicago resident. Estimated damage is unknown.
- Someone damaged the windshield of a Chicago resident’s vehicle by throwing an unknown object at it while in traffic at 7:45 p.m. on Feb. 16 in the 700 block of South Harlem Avenue. The damage is estimated at $500.
These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports Feb. 7 to Feb. 17, 2020 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
