Chicago Police looking for student caught on camera stealing package from front yard

FOX 32 NEWS - Police are looking for three schoolgirls who were caught on camera stealing a package in the McKinley Park neighborhood.

The home surveillance video starts innocently enough, three schoolgirls walk by a home near Hoyne Avenue and West 34th Street just before 5p.m. on Monday evening. The girls appear to be minding their own business, when one of them spots a package.

“I live right across the street and it's kind of messed up people work hard for their stuff and just to have it snatched up like that - that's not cool,” said Andy Ramirez. 

As two of the girls walk off - one stays back - determined to find a way to get the package. She first checks the gate, which is locked and whispers, "I can't reach it," and tries the gate again, still locked.

The girl gets creative. In the video you can see she yanks a yard sign from the ground, stabs the package and drags it towards her. She flips the package up over the fence and, laughing, runs away.

The homeowner posted the video on Facebook page and it now has more than 130,000 views and 1,700 shares.

One neighbor said this is not the first crime of opportunity in the McKinley Park neighborhood.

“I’ve heard of neighbors having people break into their garage, yard, stealing bikes,” said Miguel Hernandez.

As for punishment - that is still up in the air, but perhaps the attention the incident has received in the public is punishment enough.

“They are young girls and it would really be unfortunate to give them some sort of criminal record for something like this, but I think might feel the weight of what they have done,” said neighbor Irene Acosta.

The homeowner declined to go on camera, but says she's glad the story is getting attention.   None of the girls, which appear to be juveniles, are in custody. Police are investigating.