Thieves Hit 2 Oswego Liquor Stores, Get Caught On Camera [VIDEO]

OSWEGO, IL — Two Oswego liquor stores were hit on consecutive days by what store operators say are a familiar pair of thieves. Surveillance footage from both incidents appears to show the same man and woman brazenly stealing from the stores in back-to-back days.

Oswego Police confirmed that two separate liquors stores in the village were the victims of theft — and that the incidents appear to be related. The first incident came at about 5:18 p.m. Sunday, when a man and a woman walked into BJ's Wine & Spirits, 1154 Douglas Road, and stole bottles of liquor valued at $300, police said.

At about 9:46 a.m. Monday, a man and a woman stole from Oswego Food & Liquor at 4574 Route 71, police said. The alleged thieves pulled up in a white Ford Explorer before walking in the store and stealing six bottles of alcohol, valued at less than $300.

Video surveillance posted by Oswego Food & Liquor show the man and woman being driven to the store, then exiting from the front and rear passenger doors of a white SUV.

Rushil Thaker, owner of Oswego Food & Liquor, said he recognized the man as a previous customer, and as a person who has showed up in surveillance footage shared in a Facebook group for store owners. He said the man who hit his store and BJ's also stole from convenience stores in Plano and Batavia, according to footage those stores shared in the private Facebook group.

"He looked familiar but I didn't recognize him in the moment," Thaker said. "He used to be an old customer, then he just disappeared."

Thaker said police responded to his store Monday morning, and he identified the man in photos brought by police. He said this is the first time his store has been the victim of such a brazen theft.

"I've seen video of this happening in other places," he said. "But nothing like this" has happened to him before.

Police described the suspects in the Oswego Food & Liquor theft as a white man and white woman, both approximately aged 40. The man, described as standing 6 feet tall and weighing about 175 pounds, was seen wearing a pink jacket and dark pants, police said in an incident report. The woman, described as standing 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds, was seen wearing a black-and-white sweatsuit.

A man and woman fitting that description and wearing the same clothing as described in the Oswego Food & Liquor incident are also captured on surveillance footage stealing from BJ's. In the video, posted to the store's Facebook page, the two are seen casually talking in an aisle before grabbing at least five bottles of Patron tequila and walking out of the store. The man appears to acknowledge the store clerk as he is leaving.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, BJ's Wine & Spirits said the man who stole from them that day had also previously stolen from the store. The same man that was captured in surveillance footage also stole from the store on Aug. 19, and attempted to again about a week later. In the first case, the store submitted surveillance footage to police to help find the thief, according to the Facebook post.

An Oswego Police spokesperson said the department believes the liquor store thefts are related. The department is "actively investigating leads," the spokesperson said.

The liquor store incidents are not the only high-profile thefts in the area, however. At about 6:30 a.m. Monday, a thief or thieves made off with $75,000 worth of jewelry from the Kohl's at 2500 Route 34 in Oswego. The Kohl's incident does not appear to be related to the liquor store cases, according to Oswego Police.

Anyone with information should call Oswego police at 630-551-7300.