Crime & Safety
Downers Grove Police Detail Sept. 9 Attempted Ruse Burglary
This time an elderly resident became suspicious of a stranger's story, according to police.
A Downers Grove police report reveals new details about an attempted ruse burglary incident that occurred on Monday.
The latest scheme involved two Hispanic men and took place on the 1600 block of Valley Forge Place, according to police. One of the men spoke with an elderly woman at the home, but she became suspicious and left him before a situation developed, according to the report.
The man that the woman spoke with was described as the following:
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- Hispanic
- About 5-foot-4
- 125-130 lbs.
- Black hair
- Brown eyes
- Wore blue jeans and a t-shirt
- Spoke English without an accent
The second man was in the front passenger seat of a white van in the driveway. He was described as a heavyset (possibly 300 lb.) Hispanic male, the report said.
The Downers Grove Police Department this week urged residents to be on the lookout for ruse entry burglaries and strangers trying to gain access to the home. The Department sent an alert about the incidents on Tuesday.
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READ: Downers Grove Police Department Reports More Ruse Entry Crimes
The elderly woman had just returned home from shopping at about 1 p.m. before the latest incident occurred. She picked up the mail from the mailbox at the end of the driveway and was only inside for a minute or two when the doorbell rang.
The man wearing blue jeans told her he needed to show her something in the backyard. She let the man in the home and they walked to the back door and out into the backyard. The man spoke rapidly and she had a hard time understanding what he was saying. He mentioned something about doing contract work for a neighbor and pointed to a residence on the 1700 block of Valley Forge Place, according to the report.
The woman and the stranger were only outside for a minute before she told him he would have to come back and speak to her children, meaning her son the homeowner. She went back inside the residence and locked both the back and front doors. She saw the man use a cell phone as he walked around the house to get back to the van.
When the son heard about what happened, he immediately thought it could have been a ruse burglary attempt.
"He said he looked all over the residence, observing nothing missing or out of place," the report said. "He told me he looked in his wife's dresser at her jewelry, with nothing appearing to have been disturbed."
The son said he would follow up with police if he discovered that anything was stolen. Because of the second man's size, the mother felt there wasn't enough time for him to get out of the white van and into the house while she was with the man in blue jeans.
Downers Grove police ask residents to be cautious when allowing strangers to enter their home. If someone suspicious comes to the door, immediately call 911.
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