String of business burglaries reported on Chicago's Northwest Side
CHICAGO (CBS) — Multiple businesses were hit by burglars in a matter of minutes on two Northwest Side neighborhoods early Thursday.
Police said four burglaries in Edison Park and three others in Norwood Park were all connected. But all the burglaries caused chaos and destruction for many businesses.
Surveillance video captured the moments before burglars broke into Chopstick Express Chinese Restaurant, at 7230 N. Harlem Ave.
"We've been here for so long. We pretty much know all of our neighbors, everyone that comes here," said Chopstick Express assistant manager Wei Lin. "So it kind of feels like, it feels like an attack on us — like our neighborhood specifically."
The burglars got away with the restaurant's cash register — which had money inside.
"We usually don't keep money in our register for this very reason, but we keep some change in the register just in case we run out," said Lin.
Chopstick Express was one of four businesses in the same Edison Park strip mall that were hit, along with River Spa Massage, 7222 N. Harlem Ave.; Trendy Nails Salon, 7226 N. Harlem Ave.; and Mug's Pizza and Ribs, 7228 N. Harlem Ave.
The front doors of all four businesses were busted out. It was unclear late Thursday if the intruders got away with anything at the other businesses.
"With attacks like these, with like burglaries, it really hurts us as a business," Lin said, "and not just our business, but our family as well, because we're trying to support everyone that we can."
Lin said the burglary happened around 2 a.m. A few minutes earlier and more than two miles away, three other businesses were targeted by burglars within about 15 minutes in Norwood Park.
Between 1:40 a.m. around 1:55 a.m., the group broke into Roberto's Jewelers, 7005 W. Higgins Ave., Trio's Pizza, 7009 W. Higgins Ave., and Elite Total Rehab, across the street at 7008 W. Higgins Ave.
Chicago Police said in each incident, a group of five men entered the businesses and then left the scene in a silver sedan.
Roberto's Jewelers was also held up at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020. The burglars in that case smashed open display cases with a crowbar and even stood on cases and jumped to break down the glass before stealing the cases' contents.
Police have now said the burglaries in Norwood Park and Edison Park early Thursday are linked, but that was not clear at first.
"I kind of hope that they're connected so if they do get caught, then they can all get charged for the same thing," said Lin.
An eighth burglary at a business in the 5400 block of West Devon Avenue in the Forest Glen neighborhood was also connected to the pattern.
No arrests have been made. Police are investigating.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Grand Central Area detectives at (312)-746-7394, or to submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com and use reference #P25-5-00.
