Police said an 11-year-old boy sitting alone in a running car thwarted an attempted auto theft last week in Wilmette after calling out for his father and surprising the would-be thieves, who then hit a tree as they tried to escape.
The incident began on the 900 block of Chestnut Avenue shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 19, according to Wilmette Police Commander Patrick Collins, when the boy’s father left a car running and unlocked with his son inside as he went back into his house to speak with his wife.
While the man was still inside, the couple heard their son yelling, police said. The man went out in time to see the boy running toward the house with the vehicle across the street, backed into a parkway tree.
Police said the two men trying to steal the car panicked and lost control of it when the boy escaped and started yelling for his father. They reportedly ran east on Chestnut, with the car’s owner chasing them on foot. The men escaped by climbing into the vehicle of an accomplice who was waiting nearby, authorities said.
Police said that car, described as a dark-gray, four-door vehicle, headed east toward Sheridan Road.
In a press release, Collins said police in nearby communities have reported thefts of cars in similar circumstances.
The cars, left unlocked and running, “are often used during other crimes, such as burglaries and robberies,” he said.
Collins said people should avoid leaving their vehicles running, either to warm them up or even to “just run into a business for coffee or other ‘quick’ pick up.”
He also cautioned that children should never be left unattended in a running vehicle.
He said residents should call police as soon as they see suspicious activity in their neighborhood, and drivers should not confront anyone trying to take their vehicle and should immediately call 911.
They should also memorize or write down a detailed description of the person trying to steal their car and the description of any getaway vehicle, including its license plate number.
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