5th Home Hit in Tinley Park Burglary Spree

Tinley Park police are investigating the latest in what they believe to be a series of connected home burglaries after a break-in Wednesday night in the 9100 block of Basswood Drive.

This is the fifth possibly connected home burglary since Jan. 3, and the first since the village issued an alert about this spree Jan. 7. There also has been at least one attempted burglary that is being investigated in connection with these break-ins.

READ: 4 Homes Hit in Tinley Park Burglary Spree

Tinley Park Police Chief Steve Neubauer said his department is taking these burglaries very seriously, and he has extra staff and patrols working on them.

At around 5:30 p.m., a neighbor called police to report a suspicious white SUV with two men wearing hoodies in the area, Neubauer said. Soon after that, the victims contacted police to report the break-in, he added. No one was home during the burglary, Neubauer said.

As in the other burglaries, the suspects forced their way in through an exterior door and went straight for the master bedroom, Neubauer said. Jewelry had been taken from drawers and lined up in the bedroom, but the suspects left it behind, he added. So far, only a high-end purse has been reported taken, he said.

READ: Police Want to Shed Light on Daytime Burglaries

Police put up a perimeter to search for the suspects at the time and questioned neighbors, Neubauer said. The department's K9 unit also tracked a scent from where the suspicious SUV was parked to the victim's house, he added.

The previous break-ins have occurred during daytime hours while residents were not home. They happened in the following areas:

• the 9000 block of Basswood Drive on Jan. 3
• the 9000 block of Timberwood Lane on Jan. 3
• the 8100 block of Mallow Drive on Jan. 6
• the 6500 block of 177th Street on Jan. 6

An attempted burglary Jan. 1, in the 8600 block of Carriage Lane, also is being investigated. (Map Key: Yellow indicates reported attempted burglary; red triangle marks reported burglaries.)

Police say the following vehicles might have been used in the burglaries:

• a white box truck
• a silver pick-up truck with a ladder sticking out from the bed
• a dark-colored Toyota Corolla
  

Residents are urged to call 911 if they see anything suspicious in their neighborhood.

Neubauer said he's seen an uptick in tips and information being passed on to the department, which he said has been appreciated and encourages residents to continue doing.

Similar burglaries also have been reported in neighboring communities, but Neubauer said he didn't know if there was any connection to Tinley Park's recent spree.