Area police departments are looking into the possibility that the arrest of an alleged burglar outside a St. Charles fitness club might lead them to solve similar crimes committed throughout the area.
Several departments, including St. Charles, Batavia, and Aurora, have been looking into smash-and-grab burglaries that have been occurring outside fitness and day-care centers over the last several weeks.
On Monday, St. Charles police made their first arrest regarding the burglaries after they spotted a man in the midst of a break-in.
According to police, St. Charles officers were notified by a neighboring jurisdiction that a burglary suspect they had under surveillance was in the parking lot of the XSport fitness club, 200 North Randall Road. The location has been the target of several recent burglaries, police said.
When detectives arrived on scene, they allegedly witnessed a man break the window of a Pontiac Vibe and steal a bag out of the inside.
The man then returned to a van he had driven and fled the scene.
Officers kept a safe distance as they tailed the van to a South Elgin McDonald’s restaurant where he got out of his van, unaware that he was under surveillance.
Nicholas Castiglia, 29, of Carol Stream, was taken into custody and charged with felony burglary, felony possession of burglary tools and misdemeanor criminal damage to property.
The St. Charles police were assisted by the Downers Grove Police Department, the South Elgin Police Department and the Kane County Sheriff’s Department.
Similar smash and grab burglaries occurred in Aurora last week.
On Nov. 25, two women dropping off children at an Aurora preschool facility returned to their vehicles to find their windows shattered and their valuables stolen, police said.
The women reported parking their cars at Tutor Time Preschool, 300 block of North Asbury Drive, around 8:30 a.m.
Both women said they locked the doors to their vehicles and headed inside for no more than five minutes. When they returned to their vehicles, they noticed their windows had been smashed and their valuables had been taken, they told police.
Batavia police sent a message via Facebook to residents, warning them about similar smash and grab incidents at day-care and fitness facilities.
“It is believed the offender(s) are watching the parking lots and waiting to see a woman exit her car without her purse and then taking that opportunity to remove the purse from the vehicle,” Batavia police wrote. “The offender(s) have also forced entry to the trunk after witnessing the victim place her purse there before heading into the facility.:
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Police said stolen credit cards and checks are then being used.
“The Batavia Police Department is asking that you please not leave your purse in the vehicle; even if you believe you will only be out of sight for a brief moment,” police wrote, “Additionally, if securing (your purse) in the trunk, please do this before arriving at your final destination.”