Neighbors concerned about car thefts in Bridgeport

CHICAGO (CBS) — Some residents in the Bridgeport neighborhood are upset over how brazen thieves have gotten in their attempt to steal vehicles in the area.

On Thursday, a woman had her family car stolen right in front of a daycare center while people were picking up their children.

This comes two months after police released a bulletin about 17 vehicle thefts in Bridgeport and neighboring Armour Square in December.

The woman whose car was stolen said police detained a juvenile, but her car is still missing.

The car theft was caught on camera at the intersection of 31st and Loomis.

The woman, who asked to be identified only as Giselle, said her mom had parked around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, but just an hour later, someone broke out the back window.

A group of people got in her mom's car, started the Kia without the keys, and left – all while parents were picking up kids from a nearby daycare.

Giselle said her mom is now concerned about how she's going to get to work.

"I think it was more her reaction that she still woke up to question, 'How am I getting to work?' It's not about where is my car. How am I going to get to work," Giselle said. "It's people out there that could be working are not working and making it difficult for other people. And I was just like, I think that's when it hurt me, when my mom wasn't even worried about the truck. She was like, 'How am I'm gonna get to work?"

She said she's concerned because their family wasn't the only one affected.

Several neighbors have reported their cars stolen over the past few months. Many of the thefts were caught on camera.

"I rushed to the window, and unfortunately right when I opened my door, I just saw my taillights just take off. It was too late," said Chris, whose car was stolen in December.

Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), in a statement, said:

"Per data from the Chicago Police Department, carjackings are a challenge all across the city in recent years—not a problem that is specific to Bridgeport. We take the issue seriously, and work closely with our 9th District CPD team to address carjackings when they occur. We strongly encourage residents to take proactive steps to physically secure your vehicles. With increased vehicle crime through electronic hacking, we urge residents to install steering wheel locks, kill switches, and GPS trackers to help prevent theft. As always, please report any suspicious activity to 911."  

Giselle said police did see someone driving her mother's stolen car and tried to pull them over, but some people bailed from the car and tried to run. Police detained one juvenile but have not been able to recover the stolen car.