Chicago, Illinois: Freight Train Burglary Near Western Avenue Halts Metra BNSF Trains, About 20 People Believed Involved

A freight train was burglarized on Tuesday morning in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, and Cook County sheriff's police said multiple freight cars were broken into and about 20 people are believed to have been involved.

The burglary was reported around 9 a.m. near 18th Street and Western Avenue, on the western edge of the Pilsen area. Video from the scene showed dozens of packages scattered along the railroad tracks. Metra halted its BNSF Line trains in both directions near Western Avenue because of the police activity, and the agency warned that some trains faced extensive delays. The sheriff's office has a unit assigned to investigate and prevent thefts from freight trains.

Where it happened

The tracks near 18th Street and Western Avenue run between the Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods, on a corridor where BNSF freight trains and Metra BNSF Line commuter trains pass through the same rail district. The burglary closed that corridor to commuter traffic at the height of the morning rush, while officers worked along the tracks and investigators documented the opened cars.

Commuters stopped with the freight

The BNSF Line is one of Metra's busiest commuter routes, linking Aurora and the western suburbs with downtown Chicago. Trains were stopped just before 9 a.m., according to NBC 5 Chicago, and Metra said trains could not move until police authorized the release of the tracks. Local affiliates reported later in the morning that trains were moving again, with residual delays on the line.

Authorities have not said whether any arrests were made, and they have not released information about the people believed to be involved. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Cook County sheriff's police at 847-635-1188.

BNSF calls cargo theft a growing threat

BNSF Railway, which operates the freight line, declined to confirm or comment on the specific case. In a statement carried by FOX 32 Chicago, the railroad said the incidents highlight the serious and growing threat that organized cargo theft poses to public safety, law enforcement and the nation's supply chain.

"Cargo theft is not a victimless crime, particularly when many of these packages include much-needed medicine, food, and critical supplies necessary for everyday life," the statement said. The railroad said such acts disrupt the movement of goods, raise costs for consumers and businesses, and create dangerous situations for railroad employees, officers and nearby communities. BNSF said it works with federal, state, local and tribal police to disrupt cargo theft and arrest offenders, and it called on prosecutors, judges and policymakers to treat the trend as a problem for the whole criminal justice system.

Neither the sheriff's office nor BNSF said on Tuesday what was taken from the cars that were opened, and neither agency said what the packages scattered along the tracks contained.