Car thieves targeting Des Plaines gas stations

For at least the fourth time in the last two months, a car was stolen this week at a Des Plaines gas station after a driver stopped to fill up.

Two additional thefts were thwarted by the would-be victims, reports indicate.

In some of the cases, accomplices may have been waiting nearby in SUVs, according to reports.

The latest theft occurred shortly before noon Monday at a Speedway station at 885 E. Touhy Ave.

When a man got out of a black BMW X6 SUV to use a pump, a thief got in and drove off, police said in a news release. The remote-star key fob had been left in the vehicle and the doors were unlocked, police said.

Surveillance video revealed a white SUV driving through the gas station at the time of the theft, police said.

Several similar thefts and attempted thefts have occurred in Des Plaines recently, police reports revealed. Like Tuesday’s crime, all occurred around midday or in the early afternoon.

On Nov. 14, a black 2023 Porsche Macan SUV was stolen at a Sam’s Club gas station at 101 W. Oakton St. The thief took the Porsche after exiting a white Lexus SUV, police said.

On Nov. 15, a thief stole a white BMW X3 SUV at a BP station at 2995 S. Mannheim Road. A dark-colored SUV was seen in the area at the time, according to reports.

On Nov. 27, a masked man climbed behind the wheel of a blue Range Rover at a BP station at 1215 Lee St., police said. Before he could steal the SUV, however, the would-be victim pulled him out. The masked man ran to a waiting white SUV that drove off, police said.

On Dec. 6, a woman getting gas for her Audi sedan at the Sam’s Club station on Oakton Street saw a man wearing a ski mask get behind the wheel of her car, police said. When the woman opened a passenger’s side door, the intruder fled and then left the station in a waiting gray SUV, according to reports.

And on Dec. 12, a masked thief made off with a woman’s white Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV at the BP station on Mannheim Road. The driver was outside the Jeep near the fuel pump when the thief jumped in through an unlocked passenger’s side door, police said.

The thief ‒ described by police as a thin man wearing a mask and a dark sweatshirt ‒ locked the doors to prevent the woman from getting inside and drove away, police said.

Investigators don’t know if the thefts are related, said officer Katie Kozlowski, a department spokeswoman. Kozlowski urged people to be aware of their surroundings at gas stations and to watch out for vehicles driving through a station that don’t seem to be stopping at pumps.

"If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to call 911," Kozlowski said.

In a recent Facebook post prompted by the crimes, Des Plaines police said people should never leave keys or remote starters in their cars. People also should turn off cars when not occupied and lock car doors during fueling stops, police advised.

Monday’s car theft wasn’t the only one this week in Des Plaines. Another BMW X6 was reported stolen at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Sam’s Club at 101 W. Oakton St.

That time, a masked man approached a woman in a parked car and told her she had a flat tire, police said. When the woman got out and went to examine the tire, a masked accomplice got in and drove off. The man who had told the woman about the tire fled, too, police said.

The woman’s purse had been in the BMW, and the thieves later used her debit card, police said. Investigators don’t know if this theft is related to the crimes at the gas stations, Kozlowski said.

If you have information about these crimes, call Des Plaines police at (847) 391-5400.