Homeless men arrested in Villa Park car thefts

Two homeless men were charged with felony car theft in separate incidents in Villa Park this week.

Shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, a man left his vehicle running outside the BP gas station, 1 W. St. Charles Road, to grab a cup of morning coffee. While inside, the victim saw someone climb in his vehicle and attempt to drive away. A witness blocked the escape with his own vehicle.

Kevin P. Gross, 27, was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

In a similar but separate situation, Villa Park police responded to a vehicle theft reported at 8:41 a.m. Tuesday at Walgreens, 6 E. St. Charles Road.

The victim reported a white 2004 Ford cargo van being used to deliver medicine to the store missing. The keys had been left inside the vehicle.

Officers on patrol later that day spotted the vehicle in a parking lot behind an apartment complex on the 100 block of West Terrace Street. Police said they watched the vehicle until about 3:30 p.m., when a man climbed in the van and attempted to drive away. Officers blocked his escape.

Jose A. Bolado, 44, was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Both Bolado and Gross remain the DuPage County jail.

Villa Park police caution residents never to leave a running vehicle unattended.