River Forest police said a stolen BMW involved in a vehicle hijacking last month in the village has been recovered in Chicago, and police are working with other law enforcement agencies to search for suspects.
“Everything is very fluid, and there’s a lot of people working on this case right now. But it’s going in the right direction,” River Forest Deputy Chief of Police Jim O’Shea said Thursday afternoon.
At about 1:05 p.m. Sept. 26, River Forest police officers responded to a call of a vehicular hijacking at Central and Ashland avenues. Once on the scene, officers spoke to a woman who said she was driving a blue 2009 BMW 528i to drop off a friend in the 400 block of Ashland Avenue, when a small red vehicle pulled alongside her.
Two men got out of the red vehicle and approached the BMW, police said. Once they stopped walking, one man stood on the driver’s side, while the other stood on the BMW’s passenger side, police said.
Police said the man on the passenger side showed a gun and ordered the victim out of her vehicle. They said the woman complied, and the men entered the BMW. Police said the suspects were seen driving the vehicles north on Ashland Avenue toward Lake Street.
Police said the woman was not physically harmed, and she said the men were in their early 20s. The BMW was recovered on the West Side of Chicago on Sept. 29, O’Shea said.
River Forest police were working alongside other police departments to determine whether this is part of a larger pattern. O’Shea says police are aware of more than one group engaging in this type of crime, but as of Thursday, it was unclear whether the Sept. 26 hijacking was related to those groups’ activities.
“These are clearly incidents where you have two to nine offenders working together,” said O’Shea.
In a news release, police reminded residents to try and leave space between their car and the car in front of them to avoid being blocked in while driving.
“The biggest thing is to be are of your surrounding and lock your door. Make sure you have the ability to call for police services when you are parking in an area,” O’Shea said. “When parking in a grocery store or anywhere else populated, always park under a light. Also, do not walk or drive talking on your cellphone where you won’t be able to engage in what’s going on around you.”
Police also suggest residents keep their cellphones separate from their personal belongings in case they are forced to leave their wallets or purses and for residents to do their best to obtain a license plate and description of the suspects’ vehicle if possible.
“Once again, you’re talking about property,” O’Shea said. “It’s not worth your life. In these incidents, it’s usually not just one person.”
Alex V. Hernandez is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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