Crime & Safety

Multiple Cars Burglarized in Restaurant Parking Lot

On Tuesday, Oct. 30, three cars in the Oliver's Bar & Grill parking lot were broken into. Police responded to the scene and spoke with the victims, who told them various items were stolen. No suspects were identified.

Three customers at Oliver's Bar & Grill, 6150 159th Street, got a rude surprise when they left the establishment on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The customers discovered someone had broken into all three of their cars.

At Oliver's, officers spoke with the victims, who said that sometime between 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. an unknown person(s) broke into the three separate cars and removed various items.

One victim posted on Patch's Facebook page that items taken from the cars included digital cameras and a laptop. One victim also had a briefcase stolen, according to police reports.

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Officers were unable to recover any evidence at the scene.

With several vehicle break-ins in the past week, Oak Forest Detective Sgt. Tim Kristin suggests residents bring all valuable items into their home at night and make sure to lock their car doors.

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“Typically, the burglaries we see are people pulling on open doors and removing the change and valuable items,” Kristin said.

The victim who posted on Facebook added that the parking lot at Oliver's is dark and that she thought that the city had notified the owner of the issue.

Oak Forest Code Enforcement Officer Jim Berger said Oliver's was notified by the city that the lights in the parking lot were out in the past, but that the issue was resolved. He added that as of November 1 the lights in the parking lot were working normally.

“Last summer, we got a complaint about the parking lot lights being out,” he said. “We got a hold of the owner and sent him notice. It wasn't the fastest thing getting them repaired, but it was repaired.”

Berger added that the owner has reached out to the city, looking for tips to improve the parking lot area and ensure customer safety.

In October, 2 out of 3 burglaries were to vehicles, according to the Oak Forest Crime Prevention Commission. 

Leaving valuables in unlocked vehicles, either/or, is asking for trouble, wrote Dennis Mitzner, committee chariman. Both home and vehicles need to be "tough targets" to avoid being victimized.

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