A 19-year-old Chicago man was arrested last week and charged with felony burglary after police said he took part in a wave of business break-ins stretching from the North Side to the South Side, part of a crew authorities believe hit more than 30 businesses across the city in just six weeks.
Charles Kelley was arrested on Oct. 28 in the 7800 block of South Cornell Avenue, according to a Chicago Police Department release, which says he was identified as one of the offenders who burglarized multiple businesses throughout the city over roughly the prior month, with incidents dated between Sept. 30 and Oct. 27. Police say Kelley was charged with seven felony counts of burglary, one felony count of attempted burglary and one felony count of theft, though other outlets have reported different totals for the case — CBS Chicago and NBC Chicago both reported eight felony burglary counts, while cwbchicago.com later described him as facing 17 burglary charges after detectives linked him to nine additional break-ins beyond an initial eight. The discrepancies in reported charge counts have not been reconciled in available records.
Police believe the crew tied to Kelley is responsible for 30 or more business break-ins across Chicago over the past six weeks, according to cwbchicago.com. Separately, prosecutors told CBS Chicago that a crew broke into at least eight businesses between Sept. 30 and Oct. 27 and stole up to $8,000 in cash, along with tobacco and marijuana products, from one location during that span.
A Second Teen Faces His Own Burglary Count
In a related but separate case, a 17-year-old was charged with 17 counts of burglary, one count of attempted burglary and a misdemeanor charge of criminal damage to property, per police reporting cited by cwbchicago.com. That outlet reported the teen's first alleged burglary happened at a business in the 2400 block of North Clark Street around 3:30 a.m. on May 7, with the bulk of the incidents following months later.
NBC Chicago reported that most of the thefts tied to the 17-year-old were reported on Oct. 15, with at least 12 burglaries or attempted burglaries linked to him that single day.
Burglary Sprees Have Hit Multiple Neighborhoods
The string of break-ins echoes other recent burglary sprees reported around Chicago. At least 13 Lincoln Park businesses were damaged in a Clark Street burglary spree, according to Block Club Chicago.
Despite the recent run of break-ins, burglary complaints in the city's 19th Police District were actually down sharply this year. The district recorded 245 burglary complaints through the week ending Oct. 25, compared with 429 during the same period in 2025, Block Club Chicago reported — a 43% decline even as individual sprees have drawn heavy attention from business owners and police.
As first reported by NBC 5 Chicago, suspects have now been charged in connection with the string of burglaries across the city. It is not yet clear from available court records how Kelley's case or the 17-year-old's case will proceed, including any pleas or findings.
