Hinsdale police are asking residents to help combat auto thefts in the village after an uptick in overnight auto thefts and auto burglaries since the beginning of December involving unlocked cars with key fobs left inside.
In the latest incident, police reported that at 3:46 a.m. Monday, Jan. 27, an officer assigned to special overnight patrols observed a vehicle reported stolen at Third and Princeton streets in the Woodlands neighborhood of Hinsdale. The offenders fled south on County Line Road and then east on the Stevenson Expressway.
It was one of seven recent contacts with stolen autos since the beginning of December, according the police department, which also stated that added overnight patrols have been successful at detecting and chasing away would-be offenders. The other incidents with stolen autos occurred at Vine & Center streets, York and Ogden streets, County Line Road and 47th Street, Seventh and Oak streets, Seventh and Garfield streets, and Madison Street at Ogden Avenue.
In a press release, police officials pointed to a common thread among the incidents: the offenders in all of the cases were looking for unlocked cars with fobs and garage door openers left unattended inside the vehicles.
Three auto thefts have been reported in the village since the beginning of December, and over a dozen overnight auto burglaries, police stated. In each case, the car was left unlocked and, on several occasions, the offenders have used garage door openers in unlocked vehicles in the driveway to open the garage and search through vehicles in attached garages looking for fobs.
Back in July, surveillance video showed an offender in the 200 block of North Grant Street appear to be holding a handgun while entering an unlocked car in the driveway and then using a garage door opener to gain access to the home.
The department attributes the rise in such incidents to thieves’ expectation of finding unlocked vehicles with key fobs inside. Police officials are reminding residents to lock their cars, secure their fobs and immediately call the police if suspicious activity is observed, especially in the overnight hours.
