At least 24 residents of Lakeview and Lincoln Park awoke Tuesday to discover that someone had broken windows out of their cars overnight, according to police and emails received by CWBChicago. Police took reports for at least 20 of the cases, according to CPD spokesperson Sally Bown.
She said officers took reports for six vehicles damaged on the 2900 block of North Damen, two vehicles on the 3300 block of North Marshfield, and thirteen vehicles on the 2700 block of North Racine yesterday. Car windows were also smashed on the 1400 block of West School and the 1400 block of West Henderson.
Police categorized most of the incidents as criminal damage to property, suggesting the break-ins were not motivated by theft.
This is not the first time we’ve reported on something like this. A man named Patrick Newton has been arrested repeatedly in connection with broken car window sprees across the city and suburbs.
In May 2019, police issued a community alert after car windows were broken with rocks on the Far North Side. Newton was eventually charged with eight counts of felony criminal damage to property in connection with those cases.
While Newton was free on a recognizance bond in that case, he went to west suburban Brookfield, where police said he broke out 23 car windows on June 13 and 14, 2019. Newton was turned over to Brookfield authorities a few days later after Chicago police allegedly found him breaking car windows in Hyde Park. He was charged with three counts of criminal damage in the suburban case.
He got back out of jail and was arrested again in August 2019 after police linked him to the breakage of more than 40 car windows in Loop parking garages.
Newton eventually pleaded guilty to three felony counts of criminal damage to property in exchange for three one-year sentences that he served concurrently. According to Illinois Department of Corrections records, he reported to prison on July 6, 2020, and was released the same day.
State authorities currently list him as a parole absconder, meaning nobody knows where he is.