Police in Cook County recover stolen cars, engines in chop shop bust

Cook County police bust illegal chop shop with stolen cars, engines

Bridgeview police arrested two people after finding an illegal chop shop with stolen cars and auto parts in a southwestern suburb storage facility.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Investigators pumped the brakes on an illegal chop shop tucked away where few would suspect it. 

Two men were arrested after Bridgeview police uncovered the operation, which included stolen cars, engines, and other auto parts, in a southwest suburban storage facility.

What we know:

Bridgeview Police Chief Ricardo Mancha said officers raided the Public Storage facility at 10024 S. Harlem Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Monday after receiving a tip about suspicious activity.

There, they discovered a treasure trove of stolen car parts, which police said were being sold on sites like Facebook Marketplace. 

"The police officers and investigators have done a great job," Mancha said. "But without that individual calling it in, we may not have come across this. A big thank you to them."

Police are crediting that watchful community member for speaking up when they noticed something wasn't adding up. 

"The hour, the time of day that they saw some movement within the storage facility, they thought it was a little odd," Mancha said. 

When police responded to conduct the raid, in conjunction with the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force (ISATT) and the Major Case Unit, officers walked into a potential sale in the process. 

"They observed these individuals engaged with other individuals with car tires and whatnot," Mancha explained. 

As police began to investigate, one discovery led to another. 

"Our officers looked in and they saw two partially disassembled vehicles, which kind of raised their suspicions," Mancha said. 

Police then secured search warrants and inside five storage units, they found a total of three stolen vehicles in various stages of disassembly, five engines with attached transmissions, and many other auto parts.

"Fenders, doors, mostly from high-end vehicles, SRTs Hellcats, Challengers," Mancha said. 

Two men—18 and 20 years old, according to Mancha—were arrested on the spot for their alleged role in the illegal operation.

"Bringing in vehicles that have been stolen or through other means obtained, and they're tearing them apart, taking the engines out, doors, fenders, and selling whatever parts people are willing to buy," Mancha described. "What they seem to be doing is selling it to the Facebook Marketplace."

Mancha says buyers were most likely unaware the parts were stolen. 

What's next:

Charges against the two suspects are still pending. Meanwhile, police are investigating a third person for their potential involvement in the illegal chop shop.

The investigation is ongoing, and police are working to determine how long the operation has been active.  

Now, a tedious process begins to take inventory and identify all the parts found. 

"We have to run each and every serial number," Mancha said. 

Mancha said Bridgeview police are working with the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force and the Major Case Unit, which includes Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Worth, and Chicago Ridge, to document all evidence. 

Police say the Public Storage facility has been fully cooperative with the investigation.