Chicago

Police Investigate Attempted Suburban Carjacking, Believe It May Be Connected to Another Incident Miles Away

The victim believes she may have been followed from a nearby Jewel-Osco food store, police said

Police are investigating an attempted vehicular hijacking reported in a western Chicago suburb Wednesday.

Authorities say a woman was pulling into her garage at her Elmhurst home, located in the 900 block of South Mitchell Avenue, when she saw a man holding a handgun pointed in her direction.

The man approached the woman’s driver side door and entered the garage, but the driver put the car in reverse and quickly backed out of the garage.

Police said the vehicle almost hit the man, prompting him to flee on foot.

“She actually did a great job,” said Sgt. Brett Kaczorowski. “She was aware of her situational awareness around her, put the vehicle quickly in reverse, which ended up frightening the offender.” 

The man fled to a gray four-door sedan, possibly a Ford Fusion, with tinted windows, which then took off northbound on Mitchell toward Harrison, authorities said. 

The victim believes she may have been followed from a Jewel-Osco food store located at York and Butterfield Road and police suspect the incident may be connected to a similar vehicular hijacking that took place in Westchester a short time after.

There, in the 2400 block of Wellington, police say a man’s car was stolen from his driveway at gunpoint.

“The one got of the car and put a gun in his face and said, ‘Give me the keys,’” said the second victim’s neighbor Diana Hernandez-Verber. “I asked him, it was a really stupid question, ‘What did you do?’ He said, ‘I gave them my keys, I didn't want to get shot.’”

Anyone with information about the incidents is being asked to call the Elmhurst Police Department at 630-530-3050.

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