A Lake Forest High School senior's black Mercedes SUV was stolen from her driveway on Oct. 18. A thief found keys left inside the car, first reported by The Forest Scout, the LFHS student newspaper.

The theft highlights a persistent problem with car break-ins and commercial burglaries hitting Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and surrounding Lake County communities, according to Lake Forest Police Department officers quoted by the Scout.

Senior Laney Engelberg told the Scout her family checked security camera footage and saw a man dressed in black shuffling through her passenger seat at 2:35 a.m. before finding the keys and driving off. Her school bag, glasses, field hockey parka and water bottle were taken along with the vehicle.

"They stole my backpack with all my school work, my parka, and my water bottle," Engelberg told the Scout.

Later that day, Engelberg's mother received a call from someone claiming to be a police officer, insisting the family come pick up a car at a random address. The Lake Forest Police Department told the family that was not standard protocol and was likely the offender trying to lure them back, Engelberg said.

The family drove to an area near Evanston and found the SUV parked in an alley. The front license plate was missing and a fake plate was half-screwed onto the rear. The rear-view mirror and control center had been cut out. Multiple lighters were left inside. The Lake Forest Police Department took the lighters to investigate fingerprints, the Scout reported.

Unlocked cars draw thieves

Officer Matthew Allen, the LFHS school resource officer, told the Scout that car thefts and burglaries are a recurring problem in Lake Forest.

"99% of the time these guys will go and try the handle, and if it's locked they will move to a new one because it takes too much time to try to break into these cars," Allen said, according to the Scout.

Allen also urged residents not to leave portable garage door openers in vehicles, warning that thieves can use them to enter homes or steal additional cars.

Rick Anderson, District 115’s assistant director of safety and security and a former Lake Forest police commander, told the Scout that stolen vehicles can make offenders harder to identify and locate. "Most burglars are hard to find because they use a stolen car and then leave it somewhere in Chicago," Anderson said.

Anderson added that almost all suspects are juveniles because they face fewer penalties, according to the Scout.

Knollwood and Lake Bluff businesses hit

The car thefts coincide with a wave of overnight commercial burglaries across Lake County. At least six businesses in and near Lake Bluff were targeted around 3 a.m. on Sept. 27, according to Lake McHenry Scanner, citing Lake County Sheriff's Office Chief Christopher Covelli. Burglars broke glass doors of businesses in the Knollwood area with a landscaping brick and targeted cash registers, Covelli said.

Surveillance video from Bratski's, at 715 Rockland Road, showed a white four-door sedan pulling in behind the building just after 3 a.m. and leaving once alarm lights activated, the Scanner reported.

Those break-ins follow a series of commercial burglaries by masked and gloved suspects across Lake County since mid-August, according to the Scanner. Detectives from multiple agencies have formed a task force to investigate, Covelli said.

What residents can do

The Lake Forest Police Department promotes a nightly "9 pm Routine" on its crime prevention page: each evening at 9 p.m., check that vehicles, garages and residences are locked, exterior lights and security cameras are activated, and valuables and keys have been brought inside.

Residents can contact the Lake Forest Police Department's non-emergency line at 847-234-2601 to report suspicious activity.