Vehicle Thefts on the Rise in Eastern Will County
According to a press release from the Will County Sheriff's Office on Monday, August 7, 2023, vehicle thefts are on the rise in Eastern Will County.
Press release from the Sheriff's office describing recent events:
"This morning, 8/7/23 at 3:50am, Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of an unknown dark colored Silverado parked in a driveway on the 28000 block of S. 80th Avenue in Peotone Township. The caller/homeowner advised they observed two male subjects near the side of their residence and exchanged one round of gunfire with one of the subjects. The two subjects then drove off in the Silverado. No one was injured. The homeowner also advised tht an unknown, unoccupied, Volkswagen SUV was parked near his barn. Deputies observed a window broken out of the vehicle with gasoline poured throughout the inside. The homeowner believes that is was at the time of the gunfire exchange that stopped the suspects from lighting the vehicle on fire. It was later determined that the Volkswagen SUV had been stolen out of Skokie.
The Will County Sheriff's Office put out a 2-mile radius reverse 911 call to area residents warning them to shelter in place while deputies combed the area for the suspects. Sheriff's deputies and K-9 Units located the Silverado on the 8000 block of W. Offner Road. Once it was determined that the subjects had left the area, the 911 alert was cancelled.
During this investigation, and several prior motor vehicle thefts reported within the last few weeks, specifically in Wilton, Peotone, Green Garden, and Monee Townships, it has come to our attention that many witnesses have not come forward with information after they have observed suspicious people and vehicles in their neighborhoods. While our deputies comb neighborhoods for video surveillance or any additional information in order to catch the vehicle thieves, we have become aware that an abundance of information has not been reported that would be extremely helpful in the investigations.
We are urging residents: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING! Please assist our deputies by calling 911, submitting a crime tip at www.willcosheriff.org, or contacting Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734 or crimestoppersofwillcounty.org. (You may remain anonymous when submitting.)
Sheriff's deputies believe that the vehicle thieves are familiar with the area and are targeting the eastern area of Will County. Most of the vehicles stolen have occurred in the overnight hours, however, a vehicle was stolen out of an open garage in Peotone in the middle of the day while the residents were home. This type of crime is considered a "crime of opportunity". Please take the extra few seconds to LOCK YOUR VEHICLES AT ALL TIMES. Leaving your vehicle unlocked is an open invitation for these criminals. "
