Flossmoor Police: Teen Burglar Involved in 20 Auto Burglaries, Targeted His Own Neighborhood

A 14-year-old Flossmoor resident has admitted to burglarizing some 20 cars in his neighborhood and the surrounding area, police said.

The teen was taken into custody Sunday by Flossmoor police after a quick response to a weekend call of suspicious activity and thanks to ongoing police work, according to Deputy Chief Michael Pulec. 

The teen apparently did not smash car windows in any of the incidents. Instead, he typically entered vehicles left parked and unlocked in residential driveways, Pulec said.

When the teen was caught, stolen property was found on his person and was quickly identified, Pulec said.

The teen then cooperated with police and confessed to numerous burglaries in the Heather Hill area and the west side of town—crimes that occurred within walking distance of his home, Pulec said. Pulec declined to identify the youth because he is a juvenile. Flossmoor police had not had previous contact with the teen, he said.

The teen is scheduled to appear in juvenile court on charges of burglary to a motor vehicle and unlawful use of credit cards, and more charges are possible, Pulec said. 

The teen is believed to be responsible in the recent theft of a resident's I-PASS from her vehicle, which was parked in the 900 block of Maple Road, Pulec said.

In a separate incident Tuesday, July 26, a resident in the 2600 block of Brassie found an identification card belonging to a man living in the 2600 block of 2nd Private Road, who had his wallet stolen from his 2003 Honda Acura, police said. The Acura had been parked in the man’s driveway and left unlocked overnight, police said.

The teen also is believed to have been involved in an auto burglary in the 2800 block of Kathleen Lane sometime between last Wednesday night and Thursday morning, police said. 

He also is believed to be responsible in a burglary during that same time frame in the 3000 block of Bonnie Brae Crescent, where he apparently accessed a BMW parked in a garage by getting keys left in a Toyota Camry parked in the driveway.

The teen burglar also is believed to be responsible for an auto burglary in the 3000 block of Bobolink Road, which occurred sometime between last Wednesday night and Thursday morning, police said.

In that theft, a woman left her 1998 Buick Regal with the driver's and passenger side windows cracked, and later discovered her vehicle's contents disturbed and a small black bag containing $30 missing, according to the report.

Although the teen's arrest and confession is good news, Flossmoor residents should remember "he's not the only one" burglarizing cars in Flossmoor, Pulec said.

"I still want to stress to lock your valuables up, and don't leave change in the car," he said.