Neighbors Of Elderly Evanston Home Invasion Victim Say She Was Targeted

CHICAGO (CBS)-- A man posed as a maintenance worker who was working on a broken sewer next door to the home of an 82-year-old woman who became the victim of a home invasion Tuesday, according to neighbors.

The attempted scam started with a knock on the door before things turned physical.

According to Evanston Police, the elderly female resident answered her front door around 11:50 a.m. and was confronted by a male subject who claimed there was a sewer issue next door that he needed to repair.

The woman attempted to close the door when the man pushed past her, knocking her to the floor. Two to three other subjects also entered the residence.

Two of the subjects proceeded to the second floor and ransacked drawers, while the other suspects physically restrained the woman, according to police.

The four subjects, all described in a press release as approximately 25-year-old foreign-speaking males with dark complexions, then left the residence. They fled the scene in a white SUV, police said.

The woman only suffered minor injuries and did not seek medical attention. She reported a pair of gold earrings and a bracelet stolen.

Neighbor Joe Strzalka was shocked to hear what happened. He described the neighborhood as safe.

"That would be the most vulnerable person you could think of," he said.

Another neighbor, John Tekdogan, said the men approached the door posing as construction workers.

"She said 'no' and they pushed their way past her," he said.

Neighbors said a vehicle was seen pulling out of the driveway quickly around the time the home invasion was reported.

Strzalka said he suspected his elderly neighbor was targeted because of her age.

"Somebody along the way knows there's an elderly person over there by herself most of the time," he said.

Tekdogan said the crime shows a lack of respect for the elderly.

"If you don't know the person, don't answer the door," he said.

No arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.