No Arrests Following Thursday Car Thefts, NL Carjacking: Cops

NEW LENOX, IL — The New Lenox Police Department is searching for six people they believe are responsible for multiple vehicle thefts and a carjacking that led to a chase across the state Thursday involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

Police responded to the vehicle thefts in Springfield and Peoria at approximately 7:04 a.m. Thursday, according to Illinois State Police. The Grundy County Sheriff's Office spotted the stolen vehicles on Interstate 80 and were able to disable three of them using spike strips, according to NLPD.

Those inside the three disabled vehicles got into a fourth stolen vehicle and continued east on I-80 until they abandoned that vehicle in a ditch on the expressway, NLPD said.

From there, the car thieves went on foot into New Lenox, north of the Walker County Estates subdivision, NLPD said. The car thieves then carjacked a woman at gunpoint near Francis Road and Regan Road, NLPD said. The woman was not injured during the carjacking, NLPD said.

Fox 32 Chicago reported that the woman's daughter was also in the vehicle at the time of the carjacking.

Liberty Junior High School was placed on a soft lockdown as a precaution, NLPD said.

The car thieves drove the carjacked GMC Yukon into Markham before ditching the vehicle there and fleeing again on foot, police said.

NLPD said Friday that no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

NLPD is asking anyone with information to contact New Lenox Police Detective Brandon Tilton at (815) 462-6158. Photos of the suspects can be seen on the NLPD Facebook page.