Police are alerting residents after thieves have been seen canvassing neighborhoods in Antioch and stealing cars, including one where they rammed a stolen car into a garage and another vehicle.
Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said detectives are investigating instances of car theft crews coming to Antioch in search of unlocked vehicles.
There have been at least three instances of car thieves canvassing neighborhoods in the past week.
At least one vehicle was stolen from the driveway of a home and a second vehicle was nearly stolen, causing considerable damage.
Three suspects stole a 2020 Kia Telluride SUV from a driveway in the Woods of Antioch neighborhood around 1 a.m. Thursday.
Investigators determined that a key fob was left in the vehicle while it was parked in a driveway, Guttschow said.
Another vehicle in the same subdivision was entered but nothing was stolen.
The stolen vehicle is connected to other vehicle burglaries in Lake County that also occurred early Thursday morning.
The stolen Kia was later recovered in Waukegan. Police evidence technicians are processing the vehicle.
Detectives recovered other items inside the vehicle that are believed to have been stolen during other burglaries.
The Antioch Police Department is working with other area law enforcement to identify additional victims.
On Saturday, car thieves attempted to steal a 2012 Toyota Camry from a driveway in the Tiffany Farms neighborhood in Antioch.
Guttschow said the Toyota was blocked by another vehicle in the driveway.
The car thieves attempted to flee with the Toyota by ramming another parked vehicle and a garage door.
After causing significant noise, the thieves left the area without the Toyota.
Detectives believe the attempted theft occurred between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. It was not reported to police until 6:30 a.m.
Video surveillance footage on Friday captured from a home security camera showed two suspects canvassing the Windmill Creek neighborhood in Antioch.
A white SUV, of unknown make and model, was seen circling the neighborhood.
There were no reports of thefts or attempted thefts that day.
“We are alerting residents following a local spike in activity related to a county-wide car theft ring,” Guttschow said.
“We ask that residents help our investigators by reporting any suspicious activity. Even if the activity might not seem like anything, it might be a significant lead for our investigators,” Guttschow added.
Guttschow said residents are urged to call police if they see a car theft in progress and to not intervene.
Car thieves have previously been caught on video footage carrying guns. “It is not worth risking your life to stop a car theft,” Guttschow said.
Residents are also recommended to make sure car keys and car fobs are removed from parked vehicles.
Guttschow said the police department is stepping up overnight patrols in residential neighborhoods.
Residents can help collaborate with investigators by sharing suspicious activity caught on surveillance video with the police department.
Anyone with information related to the crimes, including those with security camera video or who may have been the victim of an unreported crime, should call the Antioch Police Department at 847-270-9111 or email [email protected].