Chicago man already in Cook County custody charged in string of Joliet burglaries

JOLIET, Ill. - A Chicago man already in custody at the Cook County Jail has been charged in connection to a string of burglaries that occurred last month in Joliet, police said. 

Alejandro Lopez, 22, was previously arrested by the Prospect Heights Police Department on unrelated charges. He now faces several more charges, including possession of a stolen motor vehicle, three counts of burglary and three counts of criminal damage to property related to multiple thefts in November.

Just before 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 13, Joliet police officers responded to a reported burglary in progress at the BP Gas Station, located at 1415 Plainfield Road.

When officers arrived, they found that the front door of the business had been damaged. An employee, who arrived to open the store, had interrupted the burglary.

Police believe four male suspects arrived in a vehicle and entered the business by damaging the front door. 

The suspects stole two cash registers containing over $1,000 and attempted to steal an ATM, but were unsuccessful. The suspects then fled in a vehicle, which was later identified as an Infiniti Q50.

At about 8:44 a.m. on that same morning, officers responded to a reported burglary at Niko's Pizzeria, located at 20 Ohio Street. The burglary appeared to have occurred in the early morning hours. An employee discovered the break-in upon arriving to open the store.

Police found that the front window had been shattered, and two cash registers containing $1,000, along with a computer, had been stolen.

Investigators determined that multiple suspects were involved in the burglary and fled the scene in an Infiniti Q50.

Then, at about 9:05 a.m., officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle burglary at the Scott Street parking deck, located at 11 E. Clinton Street. 

Police learned that, during the early morning hours, male suspects unlawfully entered a locked BMW by damaging the rear driver's side window. They stole a backpack and loose change from the vehicle.

Surveillance footage showed the suspects arriving and leaving the parking deck in an Infiniti Q50. The vehicle also drove through, damaging two stop arms that were down at the parking deck's entrance and exit.

The suspects are believed to have first committed the burglary at the parking deck, followed by the break-in at Niko’s Pizzeria, and then the burglary at the BP Gas Station before fleeing the area. 

The investigation revealed that the Infiniti Q50 used in these crimes had been stolen from a dealership in Clarendon Hills.

Detectives were later informed by the Clarendon Hills Police Department that the stolen vehicle had been recovered in a garage on the 2600 block of 22nd Place in Chicago. 

While investigating the burglaries, Lopez was positively identified as a suspect by police.

Detectives then learned that Lopez had been taken into custody by the Prospect Heights Police Department on unrelated burglary charges on Nov. 13.

On Dec. 10, Joliet police obtained an arrest warrant for Lopez in connection with the Joliet incidents. 

The warrant was served at the Cook County Department of Corrections, where Lopez is currently incarcerated on other charges.