Police: Pair wielding a gun and a hammer robbed Stratford Square Mall store

Bloomingdale police have added patrols at Stratford Square Mall after an armed robbery last month at a jewelry repair shop inside the shopping center.

Two suspects brandished a handgun with an extended magazine and a hammer during the robbery at the store, which also sells jewelry, at 5:20 p.m. April 22, police said.

Surveillance cameras captured one of the men pointing the gun at the shop owner, Bloomingdale Public Safety Director Frank Giammarese. Both were wearing masks.

Police have increased their presence at Stratford Square amid mall security concerns. Kohl's is the only anchor store still operating there. Most of the mall's retail spaces sit empty.

Giammarese said he sent a letter to mall ownership and management in August 2022 after he was made aware "that there is little to no security."

"We at the Bloomingdale Police Department are always willing and able to assist businesses in our community to make the overall location safe and secure for residents and visitors alike," Giammarese wrote. "It has been brought to my attention that on many occasions there is little or no visible security working the entire Stratford Square Mall. Bloomingdale Police Officers routinely do patrols inside and outside at the mall, but that needs to be a collaborative effort between the mall and our Police Department to make the entire mall a safe place to visit."

Giammarese personally visited the mall on Aug. 9 - the day he wrote the letter - after the village received a complaint regarding the lack of security at the mall.

"During my visit I did not see any uniformed security personnel on duty," he wrote.

Namdar Realty Group, a New York-based commercial real estate firm, acquired the core mall property in October 2019. Mall representatives could not be reached for comment.

"We don't mind being more involved, but some of the obligation is on the ownership to do their part," Giammarese said Thursday.

Police are looking for the public's help to identify the robbers, who fled in a black Jeep Grand Cherokee. The SUV was last tracked going east on I-88 in the Oak Brook area.

"Stolen plates were involved in this case also," Giammarese said.

Police described the robbery as an "isolated incident" targeting a specific business within the mall, and an investigation is still ongoing.

Anyone who can identify the suspects or who has additional information should call the Bloomingdale Police Investigations Unit at (630) 529-9868.