Police have warned Chicago businesses to beef up their security systems after a string of recent burglaries in which criminals bypassed the doors and instead busted through walls.
One incident happened at Jet's Pizza in the 1800 block of N. Harlem Avenue in Elmwood Park around 3 a.m. on May 23. Surveillance footage at Great Clips next door showed a man wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt and another in a dark hooded sweatshirt breaking in by cutting through the wall separating the two businesses.
Natalie Sciulli, a stylist at Great Clips, said she thinks the burrow burglars mistakenly entered the salon because nothing was stolen.
"The whole wall was busted," Sciulli said. "They were coming here thinking it was AT&T. Really they wanted to go that way."
The thieves went back through the pizza parlor and broke through another wall into the cellphone store, but they ran off when the alarms alerted police.
Weeks later, a similar incident occurred at Randee's Liquor and Food Store in the 4300 block of N. Milwaukee Avenue on June 26. Other businesses on the same block were targeted on July 2.
Police encourage business owners to be equipped with working video surveillance systems and burglar alarms.
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They ask anyone with information to contact Area North detectives at (312) 744-8263.
