Vandals Arrested After Walking by Witness, Police Say

Three local teens would have gotten away with it, too … if they hadn’t walked right by the police officer interviewing a witness, police said.

Two 18-year-olds from Orland Hills and one from Tinley Park were arrested on suspicion of vandalizing mailboxes on May 14, police said.

The trio are accused of vandalizing mailboxes at five homes on the 8400 block of Budigen Lane and one on the 17400 block of Castle Drive. After her dog started barking at the young men, the woman who lived at one of the homes on Budigen Lane saw the three damage her mailbox and run off shortly after 11 p.m., police said.

As a Tinley Park police officer was getting her statement, the woman noticed Janachowski, Healy and Hopper walking down Castle Drive and said they were the culprits, police said.

The three said they were at a friend’s house while the mailboxes were being destroyed, so the police officer called the friend. The friend said he had not seen the three all day. The three men then confessed.

They were then arrested and taken to the station, where their parents had to pick them up.

Of the six homeowners with damaged mailboxes, two did not want to press charges, two could not be reached by police and two opted not to press charges after the men’s parents offered to pay for the damaged mailboxes, police said.

The three were released without being charged.