CHICAGO – A woman was carjacked while driving to work in Rogers Park on Friday morning. The hijacking comes as Chicago police report a significant drop in carjacking cases this year, although the number of incidents remains well above levels seen in pre-pandemic years.
Police said the 33-year-old woman was in her car in the 7000 block of North Paulina when a man walked up and tried to engage her in conversation around 7:16 a.m. He went on to open her driver’s side door, then battered her and pulled her from her vehicle, a CPD spokesperson said.
The man jumped behind the wheel of the woman’s SUV and headed south. Chicago cops tracked the vehicle and found it unattended behind the 6200 block of North Clark a short time later, according to the spokesperson. Her purse was found near the car, and a clothing item and an earring that may belong to the offender were found inside her vehicle. They likely came off as he struggled with the victim.
Police said the victim, who works near the hijacking scene, refused medical treatment.
Chicago police recorded 333 carjackings this year as of April 7, according to the city’s data portal. That’s down from 458 at the same point last year, which was the highest level in at least a decade. Still, 2023’s hijacking rate is easily outpacing pre-pandemic years.