Two more vehicles were stolen this month from Highland Park dealerships, police for the city reported Oct. 11.

In one incident, Brian Bodden, a detective with the Highland Park Police, said a video camera recorded a white Jeep Grand Cherokee parking next to a service bay door during lunchtime and two Black subjects creeping next to the open door. The men proceeded to enter the service area while many technicians were away at lunch and searched for unlocked vehicles with their keys inside. Then the recording showed them leaving with one stolen car.

In the other incident, a technician had just moved a vehicle inside the dealership for service and connected it to a computer before leaving for lunch. When he returned, the vehicle was missing. According to surveillance video, one male subject similarly snuck through the open service bay door and stole the vehicle.

The northern suburbs have experienced an increase in car burglaries and auto theft. By late 2020, Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Forest, and Deerfield officials had logged 94 instances of stolen vehicles for the year, a nearly 130% increase over 2019, and 175 instances of theft or burglary to vehicles, an increase of over 70 percent from 2019.

The vast majority of vehicle burglaries and thefts occurred because car doors were left unlocked or keys/key fobs were left in or near the vehicle. Proximity to well-traveled highways is also associated with increased vehicular crimes.