Local News

5 Vehicles Stolen From South Surburban Tinley Park Car Dealership

February 25, 2017 / 11:40 AM CST / CBS Chicago

click to expand

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Five vehicles were stolen Friday night from a south suburban Tinley Park car dealership, according to police.

Five people broke a window of Bettenhausen Automotive, located in the 8300 block of West 159th Street, around 11:20 p.m. Friday and entered the store. Each suspect entered a car and drove off the lot, heading eastbound on 159th Street, police said.

Police found one of the five vehicles after the driver abandoned it on 159th Street, about a mile from the dealership. The driver left the car and entered one of the other stolen cars.

Officers saw the four remaining vehicles in the area of 159th Street and Pulaski Road. They attempted a traffic stop, but the drivers refused and were last seen headed northbound on I-57, police said in a statement.

Police are continuing to search for the four remaining stolen vehicles:
- Blue 2013 Dodge Charger Illinois (registration #S134102)
- White 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee (no Registration)
- Black 2015 Chrysler 200 Illinois (registration #Z314994)
- Blue 2015 Dodge Charger Illinois (registration #742270)

The owner of Bettenhausen Automotive is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the five suspects.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the incident to call the Tinley Park Police Department at (708) 532-9111.

Chicago and the surrounding areas have seen a spike in car dealership thefts in the last several months.

On Friday, Feb. 3 at least five cars were stolen from the Autobarn dealership in Evanston. The owner said four BMWs and a Porsche were stolen. Police said two cars were stolen from the same dealership in January and were recovered. The week before, thieves struck two dealerships in Naperville, stealing a total of at least six luxury vehicles from an Infinity dealer and a Jaguar dealer.

On Monday, Feb. 13 five cars were stolen from Lucky Motors in west suburban Villa Park. A Bentley, a Jaguar, a Honda, a Volvo and a Mercedes were taken according to the owner.

On Sunday Feb. 19, five vehicles were stolen from from Gregory Infiniti in Libertyville. The vehicles were stolen Sunday night around 11:20 p.m. and about 15 minutes later, the thieves were across state lines leading police in Wisconsin on a high-speed chase. Libertyville police said the stolen luxury sedans and SUV's were worth more than $205,000.

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, five masked people broke into Marino Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership in Portage Park, but no vehicles were stolen after the suspects could not find the keys.

In November, thieves stole nine cars from Mike Anderson Chevrolet in the Portage Park neighborhood in Chicago. Surveillance video showed suspects making their way through the Mike Anderson Chevrolet of Chicago service department in Portage Park, taking a total of nine new cars in the course of two weeks. The Autobarn Volkswagen Chicago dealership across the street also had three new cars stolen.

Police are looking for a possible connection among the recent car thefts and break-ins, but no one is in custody.

Tinley Park