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Thieves target work vans in series of Chicago burglaries, police say

By Lauren Westphal
Published  October 30, 2025 9:44pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • Chicago police are investigating a series of work vehicle burglaries between Oct. 24 and Oct. 29 across several neighborhoods, including the West Loop, River North, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, Logan Square, Lake View East, and Cabrini-Green.
    • Offenders are breaking vehicle windows or sawing off locks to steal expensive construction tools, often targeting vehicles parked on the street while workers are inside job sites; in one case, a suspect pointed a short-barreled rifle at a victim.
    • Police describe the suspects as two to four Black men, ages 30–40, wearing all black or fluorescent work vests, and urge anyone with information to contact Area Three Detectives or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com (reference #25-CWP-032).

CHICAGO - Chicago police are warning of a string of work vehicle burglaries throughout the Chicago area, including in West Loop Gate, River North, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, Addison Lakeshire, and Gold Coast neighborhoods. 

What we know:

Police reported several incidents between Oct. 24 and Oct. 29.

In each case, offenders broke the windows of work vehicles and stole expensive tools from inside, according to the Chicago Police Department. When they couldn’t get in through the back of a vehicle, they sawed off locks and entered through sliding doors.

The burglaries happened in the morning while the vehicles were parked on the street and owners were inside doing construction work.

In one case, an offender pointed a black, short-barreled rifle at a victim when confronted.

Police described the offenders as two to four Black men, ages 30 to 40, about 5-foot-8 to 6-foot-2, wearing all black clothing and sometimes fluorescent work vests.

Dates and locations:

Oct. 24: 

  • 600 block of West Lake Street between 7 and 10:45 a.m. (West Loop)
  • 300 block of West Kinzie Street between 9:30 and 10:10 a.m. (River North)
  • 200 block of East Pearson Street at 7:45 a.m. (Streeterville)

Oct. 27: 

  • 400 block of North Rush Street between 5:40 and 8:30 a.m. (River North)
  • 2100 block of North Cleveland Avenue at 8:57 a.m. (Lincoln Park)
  • 2700 block of West St. Georges Court between 9:15 and 9:30 a.m. (Logan Square)

Oct. 28: 

  • 500 block of West Addison Street between 6:30 a.m. and 2:10 p.m. (Lake View East)
  • 1000 block of North Rush Street near Rush and Division at 6:06 a.m. (River North)
  • 400 block of North Rush Street between 7 and 9 a.m. (River North)

Oct. 29: 

  • 1900 block of North Cleveland Avenue at 9 a.m. (Lincoln Park)
  • 500 block of West Hobbie Street between 7:30 and 11:10 a.m. (Cabrini-Green)

What you can do:

Police are warning the public to be aware of their surroundings, call 911 if you see anything suspicious, and to lock and secure all vehicles with car alarms.

Anyone with information should contact Area Three Detectives at 312-744-8263 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com and use reference #25-CWP-032.

The Source: Details for this story were provided by the Chicago Police Department.

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