Lockport restaurant owner giving away ‘dough' for help finding break-in suspects

A fed-up pizza shop owner in suburban Lockport is offering free pizza for a year to whoever can help catch the people who tried to break into his restaurant overnight Tuesday.

Police are investigating to see if this case is connected to other smash and grabs in the southwest suburbs.

It’s been very frustrating for the owner of Sopranos Pizzeria. He told NBC Chicago one of the suspects was caught on camera trying to smash their way in. They shattered the glass window and the front door and left a brick behind.

He’s now offering free pizza for a year to anyone with information to help track down the suspects.

It was Tuesday around 3:30 a.m. when surveillance cameras caught an attempted break in at Sopranos Pizzeria.

“I was actually shocked once we saw the camera footage,” said Emmanuel Serna, Sopranos Pizzeria owner and operator. “I’m like, man, they’re really young, they’re really young to be doing this—it’s very unfortunate it comes down to this.”

Surveillance video shows at least three people pull up in a vehicle. One of them gets out and attempts to smash his way into the business using a rock. He even tried kicking the glass window and door repeatedly. But never made it inside. The owner believes they got spooked with vehicles passing by.

“Luckily we had a brave Lockport citizen by the name of Rocky,” Serna said. “He sent me his dash cam footage of it and he actually called the police while he was watching them then they saw him.”

The owner said Rocky was near the intersection of Division and State when he noticed them trying to break in. The car takes off and Rocky follows them from behind as seen in dash cam video.

“He got their plate, seems like it was a stolen vehicle,” Serna said. “Some trend that’s going on apparently around the area.”

Lockport police confirm detectives are investigating to see if this case is connected to other recent smash and grabs reported in Mokena, Tinley Park, Frankfort, and New Lennox.

As a small business, the owner said this sets them back around $1,300 to replace the shattered glass.  

“Honestly whoever doing this they need to do something else,” Serna said. “There’s so much out there to be wasting your time with crime they’re eventually going to get caught.”

Serna is offering a lot of “dough” to anyone who can help catch the crooks.

“We’re going to give them free pizza for a year, not slices, but full pieces for a year.”

He’s hoping that’s enough to get them off the streets and said his community has been supportive.

“Just know that you’re going to get caught,” Serna said. “You mess with the sauce, and you get the boss Tony Soprano and a family and a united community.”

His post about the reward has been shared nearly a thousand times. Anyone with information is urged to call police or the pizza shop.