North Riverside police charged a local man with theft after he reportedly took a bag containing cosmetics from the front porch of a home in the 2200 block of 19th Avenue while he was delivering fliers in the neighborhood.

The victim told police that each month a company delivers a “glam bag” of cosmetics worth $30 to her home, but she failed to receive the bag in July. The company informed the victim that the bag had been delivered to her home on July 18 at 2:14 p.m.

So the woman pulled up video from her doorbell camera. In addition to showing video of the bag being delivered, the doorbell camera also captured a man between the ages of 18 and 20 wearing glasses and a red Chicago Bulls shirt walk up to the front door, place a flier on the door and pick up the glam bag before walking away.

The victim didn’t recognize the offender, but she posted the video to Facebook, where someone identified the suspect as a North Riverside resident. Police on Aug. 15 responded to the suspect’s address and found him to be wearing the same shirt as in the July video.

The man reportedly admitted taking the bag, and that as soon as he discovered the bag contained cosmetics, he threw the bag in a garbage can. He’ll appear for a hearing on Sept. 24 at the Maybrook courthouse. 

Spitting mad about gambling

An unidentified man has been banned from entering the Citgo Community Food and Gas business at 8545 Cermak Road in North Riverside after he reportedly became upset about the presence of video gambling machines there, cursed at the owner and spit on the credit card machine before leaving.

Police responded to the business about 2:50 p.m. on Aug. 16 after the owner called to report that a man walked up to the payment window to pay for gas by using a credit card and asked the owner if he had gambling machines.

When the owner said yes, the man allegedly began cursing at him and then spitting on the credit card machine after completing his transaction.

Police were able to track the man down by tracing the license plate on his vehicle, which was captured by a surveillance camera. Police went to the man’s residence and told him that while the owner didn’t wish to press charges, he was no longer welcome at the business.

Vehicle break-ins

A Chicago truck driver called police on Aug. 25 about 3 p.m. to report that while he was eating lunch at a local restaurant, two people had burglarized his 2014 Volvo semi-tractor truck, which was parked in a lot in the 8800 block of Ogden Avenue.

The victim said he was eating across the street when he observed a pickup truck and two people next to his vehicle. It appeared the two were trying to remove the semi’s four batteries, which are located under the driver’s side door.

The victim ran across the street and confronted the two, demanding his belongings back. They surrendered three backpacks, which they’d taken from the unlocked cab of the truck, and then fled in the pickup truck eastbound on Ogden Avenue.

While the two offenders had started the process of removing the batteries, they were not successful in doing so. However, $20 in cash and a bracelet valued at $100 was reported missing from one of the backpacks.

Brookfield police responded to House of Doors, 9038 Ogden Ave., on the morning of Aug. 24 after someone called to report that overnight a work van had been tampered with.

The rear door and side door locks had been punched out, and there were pry marks on the side door, but no entry appeared to have been gained.

Wrong car

A 29-year-old Brookfield woman called police after fleeing a vehicle she mistakenly believed to be her rideshare, after the male driver put his hand on her knee and asked her, “Where do you want to go to have fun?”

The victim said she ordered an Uber at about 2 p.m. on Aug. 24 and was waiting for it outside when a black minivan pulled up and parked in front of her driveway. She was expecting a black Toyota Corolla, but as she approached the van, the driver waved at her and told her to sit in the front seat.

After going a short distance, the driver — described as a heavy-set white male between 50 and 60 years old, short salt-and-pepper hair, a full beard and an eastern European accent — placed his hand on her and propositioned her.

She fled from the vehicle at a red light at Ogden Avenue and DuBois Boulevard and walked home. When she arrived home, she noticed an alert from Uber that her ride was canceled at about 2:10 p.m.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Aug. 15-26, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

— Compiled by Bob Uphues