A 22-year-old Berwyn woman escaped serious injury despite a 2017 Jeep Latitude striking her smaller 2014 Hyundai Accent head-on, reportedly at a high rate of speed, at Bloomingbank and Burling Roads on May 11 at about 9:10 p.m.
Both vehicles sustained heavy front-end damage, said police, and the 23-year-old woman at the wheel of the Jeep was charged with drunken driving and other traffic offenses.
A witness to the crash reportedly told police that he was following the Jeep northbound on Joliet Avenue. After crossing the bridge, according to police, the Jeep veered into the oncoming lane of traffic and blew through the stop sign at Bloomingbank Road.
Instead of continuing east on Burling Road, the Jeep went the wrong way down Bloomingbank and slammed into the victim’s vehicle, which was westbound on the one-way street, next to the commuter parking lot.
According to police, a portable breath test indicated that the Jeep’s driver had a blood-alcohol content of .240, which is three times the legal limit of .08. She was transported to Loyola University Medical Center to submit a blood and urine sample.
In addition to driving under the influence of alcohol, the driver of the Jeep was cited for improper lane usage, driving in the wrong lane, speeding and having no proof of vehicle insurance.
Mall business burglarized
The owner of a North Riverside Park Mall business called police on the morning of May 13 to report that sometime during the overnight hours someone had broken in and removed about $4,500 in merchandise.
The business, Buckle Up, is located in a kiosk at the mall and was covered with a tarp after it closed at about 8:50 p.m. on May 12. The next morning, the owner noticed the tarp had been ripped open and multiple stainless-steel necklaces, pendants and silver earrings were missing.
A review of surveillance video was inconclusive, police reported.
Brookfield business targeted
Brookfield police responded to Kago Landscaping, 9000 31st St., on the morning of May 8 after the owner called to report that about 1,600 pounds of scrap lawnmower motor parts and two wheelbarrows were missing from the property.
The motor parts had been piled on the east side of the property, according to police, while the wheelbarrows had been on the north side. The property’s estimated value was about $860.
Car strikes tree
A 54-year-old Berwyn woman whose Acura TL barreled into a tree in the 3500 block of Harlem Avenue on May 13 at about 10:15 a.m. told police she was “really tired” after not getting a good night’s sleep the night before.
The woman told police she must have fallen asleep at the wheel while southbound on Harlem Avenue and that the impact of the crash woke her up. Witnesses told police the vehicle suddenly swerved to the right, jumped the curb and hit the tree.
Paramedics transported the woman to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Police cited her for improper operation of a motor vehicle, damage to village property and having no proof of vehicle insurance.
Lawnmower stolen
A resident of the 3500 block of Sunnyside Avenue, Brookfield, contacted police on the morning of May 11 to report that someone had stolen his lawnmower, which had been left outside on the apron of his garage, off the alley, the previous day.
The victim said he forgot he’d left the lawnmower there while doing yardwork and that when he went outside to resume the job the next day, the lawnmower, valued at about $300, was no longer there.
Student charged for possessing knife
Riverside police charged a 15-year-old boy with unlawful use of a weapon after officials found a utility knife in his backpack on the morning of May 7.
According to police, the boy had been dropped off for school and then left the school grounds a short time later. The police report states that if a child leaves school and returns, policy calls for backpacks to be searched.
When asked if he had anything he shouldn’t in his backpack, the boy reportedly admitted having a knife, described by police as a Milwaukee Fastback utility knife, for protection and a small amount of cannabis. In addition to the weapons charge, the boy was cited for possession of cannabis and truancy.
Not the FBI
A 57-year-old Brookfield man called police on May 11 to report that he had received several calls and voicemails from “the FBI,” warning that he needed to pay a fine or a warrant would be issued for his arrest.
Police informed the man that the calls were attempting to scam him of money or personal information. The man said he’d given neither to the suspect caller, who was a male with a heavy foreign accent.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, May 7 to May 13, 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
