Saturday, March 23, 2013
Here's a round-up of recent, bizarre police report items from the area.
NAPERVILLE A woman reported being woke up March 17 by yelling and screaming in the 800 block of Spindletree Avenue, police said. She got up to investigate and heard a crash in her front yard. She looked out the window and saw her mailbox had been smashed. Once she went outside, she saw a person in the street screaming and swinging a "golf club like object," police said. Police then responded to the scene and arrested Andrew Charles Doerr, 22, at 5:18 a.m. near Spindletree Avenue and Fallbrook Drive, police said. He was charged with disorderly conduct. He posted bond. ST. CHARLES An 18-year-old resident of the 900 block of Manley Road reported at 8:13 p.m. March 19 that he had posted a listing on Craigslist to sell his drums for $800. He …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
The DuPage County Coroner's Office is waiting on the victim's toxicology results before announcing a cause in the first of three recent fatal incidents along the BNSF tracks.
Those who want to know what officially led to the deaths of three men stuck by Metra trains in separate incidents this month will have to be patient. DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said Wednesday afternoon his office is still investigating the causes of the incidents that took place in Westmont on March 7, in Hinsdale on March 18, and in Downers Grove on March 19, and have yet to determine whether any of the victims intended to be hit or were hit by accident. The cause of the first incident, in which a 31-year-old Hickory Hills man was struck by a Metra train near the Cass Avenue crossing in Westmont, won't be released until Jorgensen's office receives the victim's toxicology results. That, the coroner said, will likely take two …
The incident was reported less than a mile from the home that was burglarized Saturday night. Here's more info.
Another home in Hinsdale has reported missing jewelry, according to police. This time the theft took place on the 800 block of Merrill Woods Road. The incident occurred sometime between Oct. 1 and March 12, according to a police report. A woman reported five pieces of jewelry missing from her home. She thinks contractors and other persons who had authorized access to her residence during the timeframe given might have taken the jewelry. The total value of the jewelry was unknown at the time of report, but the incident was classified under "theft over $300." The Merrill Woods home is located less than a mile from the scene of a home burglary that took place March 16. In that incident, forced entry was made to the home via a back door …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Three pedestrians have died after being struck by BNSF Metra trains this month in Hinsdale, Westmont and Downers Grove. Most recently, a male pedestrian was hit by a train near downtown Downers Grove on Tuesday morning.
Roughly 25 to 30 fatal collisions involving Metra trains occur across the Chicagoland system each year, Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis said, but pinning down trends is difficult. “It’s not possible to discern a pattern,” Gillis said, citing unofficial statistics kept by Metra’s media relations department. “Sometimes they happen once every couple weeks, sometimes we get a few happening in quick succession and then don’t have one for a long time.” Three fatal train-on-pedestrian collisions have occurred along BNSF tracks in the western suburbs within a 12-day span this month. The first was on March 7, when a 31-year-old Hickory Hills man was struck by a train near the Cass Avenue BNSF crossing in Westmont. On the afternoon of Monday, …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
It was the third train-on-pedestrian fatality in the last two weeks on the stretch of BNSF railway between Hinsdale and Downers Grove.
Updated at 4:30 p.m. The DuPage County Coroner's Office does know the identity of the male pedestrian who was killed by an eastbound train near downtown Downers Grove Tuesday morning, but is withholding all information, including age and residence, until all next of kin are notified, chief deputy coroner Charlie Dastych said. 12:21 p.m. The male pedestrian who died Tuesday morning after being struck by an eastbound commuter train near the Forest Avenue crossing in Downers Grove disobeyed crossing gates that were down, according to a statement released by the Downers Grove Police Department at 11:48 a.m. According to the statement, the incident was reported to police at 9:49 a.m. A Metra spokesman said the collision itself occurred around 9…
Monday, March 18, 2013
Hinsdale Police Chief Brad Bloom said it appears the man intended to be struck; the train was carrying passengers and was passing through the West Hinsdale train station when it hit the man.
Updated at 8:31 p.m. The 42-year-old man who died after he was struck by a Metra train passing through the West Hinsdale train station Monday afternoon was from Clarendon Hills, according to Hinsdale Police Chief Brad Bloom. Bloom said Monday night that, though the department is waiting on a coroner's report, it appears based on witness accounts and surveillance video of the incident that the man intentionally stepped in front of the train. "We can say fairly conclusively that it does not appear to be an accident," Bloom said. Bloom said the train that hit the man at approximately 3 p.m. was traveling through the West Hinsdale station when it hit the man. The chief estimated the train, which was carrying commuters, would have been …
Several pieces of jewelry went missing from bedrooms in the home, the Hinsdale Police Department reports.
A home in the 500 block of Wedgewood Court was burglarized Saturday night and it appears several pieces of jewelry were stolen, according to the Hinsdale Police Department. Forced entry was made to the home via a back door some time between 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, a police department release reads. Jewelry is missing from bedrooms within the home. Deputy Chief Mark Wodka said the value of the missing jewelry is unknown as of Monday morning, and the house was unoccupied during the above timeframe. "Residents in the area who may have any video surveillance footage from a private residential video surveillance system in the area are encouraged to contact the investigations division at (630) 789-7070," the department release reads…
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Here's a round-up of recent, bizarre police report items from the area.
DOWNERS GROVE A train ticket agent at 10:38 a.m. March 6 said that two people were involved in a loud argument lasting about five minutes that involved a 54-year-old man using vulgarity. The incident occurred at the Main Street train depot on the 1000 block of Burlington Avenue in front of numerous witnesses waiting for trains. A 78-year-old woman said she politely asked the man to quiet down and refrain from cursing as he spoke to other people. The man became angry and yelled, "You mind your own damn business and go away!" This is when the argument began. The man said he was sitting and talking to his friends when the woman yelled at him to quiet down in a disrespectful manner. He then told her to mind her own business. The ticket agent …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Westmont Police Department is waiting on a report from the DuPage County Coroner's Office before declaring whether the death of Eric Bennett was accidental or a suicide.
Details about what led to a Metra train striking and killing a Hickory Hills man in Westmont last week have yet to be released by the Westmont Police Department, which is waiting on a report from the coroner's office, Sgt. Steve Thompson said Tuesday. READ: Man Dies After Being Struck by BNSF Metra Train in Westmont Thompson, the Westmont Police Department's spokesman, said police have viewed onboard video footage from the train that hit 31-year-old Eric Bennett near the Cass Avenue crossing at approximately 5:45 p.m. Thursday. But without a report from the DuPage County Coroner's Office, which performs autopsies and analyzes items found on victims, it would be premature to say publicly if Bennett's death was an accident or a suicide, …
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Here's a round-up of recent and bizarre police report items from the area.
ST. CHARLES A 40-year-old resident of the 1000 block of Dean Street reported at 10:50 p.m. Feb. 27 that someone had poured bleach into her laundry in the basement of the apartment building where she lives. The clothes were ruined. The woman told police some tenants come into the basement to smoke cigarettes and marijuana and had been down there shortly after she started her laundry. DOWNERS GROVE A manager at a buffet-style restaurant on the 1400 block of 75th Street at about 8 p.m. Feb. 25 talked to police about a theft involving a man who keeps coming into the restaurant and eating without paying for food. The man appears to be between 25 and 30 years old. On this day he wore a white Adidas hoodie and jeans as he came into the restaurant…
Katie A
11:11 am on Friday, April 12, 2013
I agree. I ride the trains every day, and hear VERY little about safety measures. In fact, these are the same trains that routinely had doors open while traveling, and daily I'd hear the conductors say "The door won't close? Oh, just kick it a few times, it'll close eventually." Not that I'm blaming Metra for people walking in front of trains, but I'd hardly call them safety conscious. more ›