ATM Thefts on the Rise in West Town, Chicago: What Financial Institutions Need to Know

In the West Town neighborhood of Chicago, a burglary occurred at a currency exchange on Friday morning at approximately 2:30 a.m. The incident took place in the 1500 block of West Division Street, where two thieves broke into the business and stole an ATM machine. According to a witness, the offenders broke the glass front door of the business and carried the ATM to a white van before fleeing the scene.

This burglary is just one of several recent incidents involving ATM thefts in the area. In January, another currency exchange was targeted for its ATM when thieves drove a Jeep Cherokee through the front window near Roosevelt and Jefferson Street. Additionally, a currency exchange on the city’s near West Side had its front glass door broken by burglars who took the machine containing an unspecified amount of money. The owner mentioned that this has happened multiple times before and it is unclear if these burglaries are connected.

No one is currently in custody for this crime and Area 3 detectives continue to investigate the incident. This growing trend of ATM thefts highlights the need for increased security measures at financial institutions to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.