Oak Park woman carjacked while unloading groceries outside her apartment

Oak Park carjacking victim speaks out

 A woman who was carjacked outside her apartment in Oak Park just opened up about what happened.  She says the timing couldn't have been worse Just days before a scheduled surgery.  Leslie Moreno is live at the complex.

OAK PARK, Ill. - An Oak Park woman is sharing her story after she says she was carjacked while unloading groceries outside her apartment building.

Denise Bergner says the robbery happened April 20 on Washington Boulevard as she was bringing groceries inside.

"It happened in less than a minute, but it felt like hours," Bergner said.

She says three suspects approached her and appeared to offer help before the situation escalated.

"They start pulling the bags saying, ‘Let us help you carry the bags, ma’am.’ I said no, I got it, but I already knew I was going to get mugged," she said.

According to police, two of the suspects grabbed her arms while a third took her purse, keys and vehicle.

"They grabbed my arms and took my purse, my keys, and they drove off with my car," Bergner said.

Bergner says the incident happened just two days before she was scheduled for knee surgery. She had gone to the store to buy ingredients for a banana cake she planned to make for her coworkers.

"My coworkers, they act like there’s drugs in it. It’s so good," she said.

Despite the robbery, Bergner says the suspects didn’t get far financially.

"I had no cash in my wallet. My credit card was maxed out because I had to pay for the surgery, so they made some purchases and they were declined. Good, you didn’t get anything out of this. What was the point?" she said.

She says she was not physically hurt and went through with her scheduled surgery. She also followed through on her plan to bake the cake.

"I was thankful by the grace of God they didn’t hurt me, but I’m not going to let them ruin my night," Bergner said. "I was going to bake my cake, enjoy the evening. I wasn’t going to let them ruin my night."

Bergner also had a message for the suspects.

"Get your lives together, go to school, get a job. I work hard. All of us around here work hard. None of us have money," she said.

Police say the stolen vehicle was recovered damaged the next morning on the city’s West Side. No arrests have been made.