Naperville police probing home burglaries

Naperville police are cautioning residents to lock their doors after a series of burglaries to homes on the city’s southeast and northwest sides.

Police are investigating as many as eight burglaries in which intruders targeted cash and electronic devices, Sgt. Louis Cammiso said Wednesday. In all those cases, he said, the burglars entered homes where the doors were either unlocked or where it was relatively simple to gain entry.

In the most recent cases, burglars entered houses during the overnight hours of Aug. 20 in the area of Lakewood Circle and Three Farms Avenue on the southeast side and in the area of Paddington Avenue and Paxton Drive on the northwest side. In each of those cases, he said, the homeowners were sleeping and left their doors unlocked.

Cammiso said similar burglaries also have been reported during the day.

Authorities are uncertain if all the incidents can be tied to the same burglars.

Cammiso said it appears the burglars are “opportunistic” and looking for easy marks.

Police recently have received reports of suspicious people looking in people’s houses, he said, and at least one homeowner called officers after hearing someone jiggling a doorknob.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call Naperville Crime Stoppers at (630) 420-6006. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.