Burglars claiming to be city employees are targeting elderly residents in several Southwest Side neighborhoods, Chicago police warn. At least 16 homes have been robbed since Aug. 5, in the Garfield Ridge, Brighton Park, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Scottsdale and Armour Square neighborhoods, authorities say.<\/p>\n
The most recent robbery happened Saturday afternoon in Garfield Ridge. Police say at least six people are involved. The crew approaches a home and creates a ruse to get the elderly victim outside, including claiming they\u2019re employees with the Chicago Water Department or construction workers on a nearby site. Or they wait for the resident to leave their home before breaking in. They have also robbed homes when the resident isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n
The burglars communicate over handheld radios, according to police. The cars they have used during the robberies include a white van without license plates, a gray 2023 Chevrolet Colorado without license plates, black Chevrolet Traverse with custom white rims or a white pickup truck.<\/p>\n
Here are the burglaries that have been reported:
\n\u00b7 4700 block of South Lawler Avenue on Aug. 5, 2025, at 1:22 p.m. (Garfield Ridge)
\n\u00b7 3600 block of South Maplewood Avenue on Aug. 5, 2025, at 4:38 p.m. (Brighton Park)
\n\u00b7 4200 block of South California Avenue on Aug. 8, 2025, at 3:10 p.m. (Brighton Park)
\n\u00b7 2800 block of South Pitney Court on Aug. 9, 2025, at 5 p.m. (Bridgeport)
\n\u00b7 5800 block of South Nottingham Avenue on Aug. 10, 2025, between 12:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. (Garfield Ridge)
\n\u00b7 3300 block of South Seeley Avenue on Aug. 10, 2025, at 1:43 p.m. (McKinley Park)
\n\u00b7 8500 block of South Kolin Avenue on Aug. 11, 2025, at 12:40 p.m. (Scottsdale)
\n\u00b7 2600 block of South Shields Avenue on Aug. 14, 2025, at 10 p.m. (Armour Square)
\n\u00b7 2800 block of South Wallace Street on Aug. 18, 2025, at 2:05 p.m. (Bridgeport)
\n\u00b7 3400 block of South Wallace Street on Aug. 18, 2025, at 6:05 p.m. (Bridgeport)
\n\u00b7 5400 block of South Natoma Avenue on Aug. 19, 2025, 9:30 a.m. (Garfield Ridge)
\n\u00b7 1700 block of West 34th Street on Aug. 19, 2025, between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. (McKinley Park)
\n\u00b7 5100 block of South Lockwood Avenue on Aug. 19, 2025, at 2 p.m. (Garfield Ridge)
\n\u00b7 3600 block of South Emerald Avenue on Aug. 21, 2025, between 7 a.m. and 9:20 p.m. (Bridgeport)
\n\u00b7 8600 block of South Keating Avenue on Aug. 23, 2025, at 1:45 p.m. (Scottsdale)
\n\u00b7 5000 block of South Kilpatrick Avenue on Aug. 23, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. (Garfield Ridge)<\/p>\n
Anyone with information may contact Area One detectives at 312-747-8380 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com and use reference #P25-1-092B.<\/p>\n
The recent string of burglaries targeting elderly residents in several Southwest Side neighborhoods is a concerning trend. It is essential for residents to be aware of these incidents and take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their properties. By reporting any suspicious activities and cooperating with the authorities, the community can help prevent further burglaries and bring the perpetrators to justice.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the method of operation used by the burglars?
\nA: The burglars approach a home and create a ruse to get the elderly victim outside, claiming they\u2019re employees with the Chicago Water Department or construction workers on a nearby site, or they wait for the resident to leave their home before breaking in.
\nQ: What types of vehicles have been used in the burglaries?
\nA: The cars used during the robberies include a white van without license plates, a gray 2023 Chevrolet Colorado without license plates, black Chevrolet Traverse with custom white rims or a white pickup truck.
\nQ: How can I report information about the burglaries?
\nA: You can contact Area One detectives at 312-747-8380 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com and use reference #P25-1-092B.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Burglaries Burglars claiming to be city employees are targeting elderly residents in several Southwest Side neighborhoods, Chicago police warn. At least 16 homes have been robbed since Aug. 5, in the Garfield Ridge, Brighton Park, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Scottsdale and Armour Square neighborhoods, authorities say. Method of Operation The most recent robbery […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-27149","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/25e7bb7\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1866x1065+0+89\/resize\/1461x834!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3b%2F95%2F8ac5d5608cbf812a039044af9259%2Fcpd.JPG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27149"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27152,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27149\/revisions\/27152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}