Cars on North Aurora's west side are being targeted for burglaries, according to police.

There have been seven burglaries to vehicles reported in the Timber Oaks, Highlands, and RCA subdivisions since Nov. 19. The general area of these crimes are bordered by Mistwood Lane to the north, Juniper Drive to the west, Princeton Drive to the south and Route 31 to the east.

"This alert is being issued to encourage citizens to take action to protect their belongings," said a statement from the North Aurora Police Department.

There were four burglaries in the RCA subdivision, two in the Highlands subdivision and one in the Timber Oaks subdivision. An image on this page of a map provided by North Aurora police shows the locations of the burglaries. Here are the dates and block locations of the burglaries in writing:

In the seven burglaries, the following items were taken:

• One iPhone
• Two wallets (containing identification and credit cards)
• Four purses (containing identification and credit cards)

All of the burglaries were committed during nighttime hours and in all cases except one, there were valuables left in the vehicle parked outside. Four of them were forced entry burglaries with either a large rock or brick being used to break a window.

In two cases, a car alarm sounded, giving police an exact time. One was at 2:50 a.m. and the other was 4 a.m. In another case, the vehicle was unlocked but nothing valuable was left in the vehicle so nothing was taken.

Burglary Prevention Tips

Generally, burglars won’t force entry unless they know there is a good chance valuables are present. If they can’t see anything, they’ll usually move on.

Burglars often try door handles and if they find an unlocked vehicle, they’ll check glove compartments and consoles looking for anything valuable left behind.

The North Aurora Police Department urges you to park your vehicles in your garage with the door closed. If you must park outside, remove valuables, lock your doors and leave outside lights on.

Police also recommend that you keep a file with model and serial numbers for your valuables. This is very helpful to investigators if you are ever the victim of a burglary.

"Doing these things will go a long way toward protecting yourself from property crime," the statement said.

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