Police are warning the public about a string of car burglaries just as the holiday season gets into full swing in Chicago.

They issued an alert about car burglaries in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. This comes as events, including the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights display, are underway. 

It’s unclear if the victims who had their cars broken into were attending zoo lights, but the warning has those here tonight re-thinking what they leave behind in their cars.

The annual spectacle of the Lincoln Park Zoo lights just opened late last week and brings thousands to the neighborhood. Multiple families were seen parking along Stockton Drive before heading into the zoo on Tuesday. The same street where CPD said car windows were smashed in and valuables stolen on Monday night.

“I’m always careful and never leave anything valuable in the car, that’s just city living at this point,” Nora O’Callaghan said.

“It’s just kind of part of being in a big city, things are going to happen,” Louis Alcade said.

A total of eight cars were broken into, according to police, with most happening between 7 and 10 p.m. on Monday near the zoo parking lot and surrounding streets.

While the break-ins occurred at the same time as the zoo lights, CPD has not confirmed if the victims were at the zoo during the burglaries

eli hinerfeld

“People are hurting right now, and whenever you see a spike in crime, it’s usually a response to instability in people’s lives,” Eli Hinerfeld said.

Police also issued a warning about three armed robberies on Monday night, with one in Lincoln Park on the 2600 block of North Clark Street and two others in Lake View East.

Ald. Timmy Knudsen (34th Ward) said in a statement, in part, “I will continue to advocate for a heightened patrol presence in my ward, improved public safety infrastructure, and additional resources for CPD to help deter future crimes. Everyone deserves to feel safe where they live and these incidents reinforce my mission in prioritizing public safety.”

Back at the zoo, attendees said they aren’t going to let the possibility of a car break-in dim the joy of the holiday lights. 

“Obviously, there’s our side of things where it’s like maybe we are exposed to getting our cars broken into, but you got to think about the other side where they are hurting enough where they think they have to do that, and that is very sad as well,” Hinerfeld said.

CPD said the suspects were wearing jumpsuits and ski masks.

No arrests have been made as of Tuesday night.