Thieves looted a freight train on Chicago's West Side Tuesday morning, causing major delays for Metra commuters.
Cook County Sheriff's Police said, around 9 a.m., about 20 people broke into multiple cars of a freight train near 18th Street and Western Avenue on the western edge of the Pilsen neighborhood.
From CBS Skywatch, a big mess was seen on the tracks, including looted cardboard boxes and other debris.
As a result, Metra trains on the BNSF Line were temporarily halted near Western Avenue. Service on the BNSF Line has resumed, but Metra said extensive delays were expected, with some trains making changes to their schedules. Riders can check metratracker.com to see where their trains are.
Mo Jbara said he was delayed two hours.
"So, I'm not happy about that," he said.
After trains started moving again, Metra commuters could still see signs of the heist even after service started after more than 90 minutes of waiting.
"The problem is there's no seating, so we're stuck standing and some of us are sitting on the floor. So, that increases the inconvenience here," commuter Vincent DiSandro said.
Chicago police referred questions to BNSF.
BNSF declined to comment on the incident, but issued a statement decrying property crimes involving its cargo.
"We can't confirm or comment on specific cases, but these incidents highlight the serious and growing threat that organized cargo theft poses to public safety, law enforcement, and the nation's supply chain. As BNSF has previously stated, 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.
"These criminal acts disrupt the movement of goods, increase costs for consumers and businesses, and create dangerous situations for railroad employees, law enforcement officers, and the communities we serve," BNSF continued in the statement.
BNSF said it has "robust" security protocols, and its own police department is focused on preventing such crimes.
Vice president of Verisk CargoNet, a firm that tracks cargo thefts, says it's a crime that dates back over 150 years.
"I think the first recorded train robbery was 1865. So it's been going on forever," said Keith Lewis.
He says crimes like this don't come as a surprise with the holidays right around the corner.
"It's the time of year you're starting to see the high-value goods move through the supply chain for the holiday rush."
Tracks are easily accessible on 18th and Western. Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez says rail companies need to do a better job in collaborating with local law enforcement. He adds that because these kinds of burglaries happen on private or federal property, local officials aren't immediately in the loop.
"Obviously, the cost of this falls back onto the consumer 100%. The consumer owns it. The theft from start to finish. The shipper, the manufacturer, the insurance company, everybody has to take this loss in their cost of doing business," Lewis said. "Everything that's stolen is going to wind up back in the legitimate supply chain ... there's no free pass here for anyone."
No one was in custody Tuesday afternoon. Cook County Sheriff's Police asked anyone with information on the heist to contact them at 847-635-1188.
Thefts targeting freight trains have been a problem in Chicago before.
Notably, in October 2024, burglars broke into several shipping containers on a freight train in the West Side's Austin community in an hours-long daylight heist. The thieves were caught on camera pulling flat-screen TVs out of the back of a freight train car, walking with them to waiting cars, sometimes even passing a parked Chicago police unit with its lights on.
In the 2024 incident, police sources said Chicago police officers waited more than an hour for Union Pacific officers to respond and secure the tracks.
Illinois ranks third in the nation for cargo theft behind California and Texas. The Department of Homeland Security estimated cargo theft costs up to $35 billion a year nationwide.
The FBI said cargo thefts were up 60% last year from 2024 across the U.S. and Canada
The Cook County Sheriff's Office is fighting back, recently using infrared cameras to catch two men breaking the seals on a cargo container holding $35,000 worth of electronics. When the suspects ran, the sheriff's drone followed their heat signature.
