CHICAGO — A railroad burglary crew nearly got away with 200 boxes of Apple Watches, but most of them wound up in police custody after cops tracked them down along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Archer Heights.
BNSF Railway police interrupted the burglary in progress at its train yard near Pulaski and the Stevenson Expressway around 10:45 p.m. Thursday. They asked Chicago police for assistance after four burglars ran toward the canal.
At least three of the four burglars tried to escape by jumping into the water. But, with help from CPD’s helicopter, marine unit, and canine officers, they ended up in handcuffs. The fourth burglar has not been found.
Police recovered 200 boxes of Apple Watches that were reportedly taken from an Amazon train car. Those watches could have been worth more than $80,000, depending on the model.
Charges are pending against the three suspected burglars.
Railroad burglaries are a big problem in Chicago, but most cases go unreported. In August, four men were charged with felonies after they were allegedly caught stealing 39 Roku Smart TVs with 58-inch screens from a rail car in the 6300 block of South Wentworth. Those TVs were worth $12,441, according to court filings.
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