Police Nab Burglar Suspected In At Least 75 Heists
PARK RIDGE (STMW) -- Fingerprints left at two crime scenes in northwest suburban Park Ridge led to the arrest of a south suburban man who has allegedly admitted to committing at least 75 burglaries in the Chicago suburbs.
Park Ridge Police on Feb. 7 charged Jeremy Ochoa, 25, of the 5100 block of Aldersyde, Oak Forest, with two counts of residential burglary after a state crime lab identified fingerprints lifted from two Park Ridge homes last year as belonging to Ochoa, Police Cmdr. Lou Jogmen said.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger Reports
Podcast
The burglaries occurred July 29 on the 700 block of North Dee Road and on Aug. 3 on the 2000 block of South Vine Avenue, Jogmen said.
Jewelry was reported stolen from both residences and entry to each was gained through a window, according to police. When evidence technicians from the Park Ridge Police Department processed the burglary scenes they were able to lift latent fingerprints, which were just recently identified as Ochoa's, Jogmen said.
Ochoa was already in custody in DuPage County Jail when the Park Ridge burglary charges were filed against him.
In October, Palos Hills Police said Ochoa admitted to burglarizing at least 75 homes in the suburbs, according to published reports.
Charges against him were filed by several police departments, including Palos Hills, Orland Park, Elmhurst, Western Springs, Countryside and La Grange, authorities said.
