Criminal Carpool In West Suburbs Steals Items From Inside Unlocked Cars, And Sometimes Cars Themselves

LA GRANGE, Ill. (CBS) -- One could call it a criminal carpool – thieves jump out and start checking for unlocked doors, and grab whatever they can get.

Sometimes, that means the entire car.

CBS 2's Jermont Terry has been tracking the crime spree in the western suburbs.

You'll find neighbors walking the streets on a quiet block in La Grange. When the streetlights come on, there remains a sense of calm.

But around midnight one day this week, crooks decided to prey on the community.

"When this happens repeatedly in your neighborhood, you start to feel you start to feel a sense of like: 'Am I safe? Why is this happening?" said Nicole Musillami.

Video documents what did happen. A car pulled up and stopped in the middle of the street, and several men – estimated at four or maybe five - got out.

The surveillance video caught a crew looking for an opportunity.

"He quickly ran up here checked the door handles over here and then ran back," said Tony Musillami.

The video shows the men not only getting inside one vehicle, but they also gain entry into an attached garage across the street from the Musillamis.

"Clearly they're experts in what they're doing, and they're doing it often," Nicole Musillami said.

When the homeowners heard the garage open, they turned on a light inside the house, and at that point, the driver gave a signal.

"The guy honked the horn. All the guys ran back in," Tony Musillami said. "They started to drive away, but like, they didn't drive away fast."

In fact, the men moved on the next driveway just a few houses away. When police were called, the Musillamis learned how widespread a problem this has become.

"It's happening everywhere," Tony Musillami said.

And this block knows firsthand that these crimes are escalating.

"One of our neighbors actually got their car stolen," Nicole Musillami said.

Images show how the crooks tinted the windows and left blood stains on the floor after police linked the stolen car to two shootings in Joliet and Chicago.

The crew is believed to be teenagers. But nobody knows what will happen if they encounter someone.

"I would always assume they're armed," Tony Musillami said.

The lights in the neighborhood are still not enough to deter the crook. Neighbors said besides locking the doors to their cars and homes, they're not sure what more they can do.

The fear is the gang could potentially try entering homes next, and that is why they are hoping police can catch the crew before they strike again.