Arrest made in rash of Elgin car burglaries

A 23-year-old Elgin resident has been arrested in connection with a rash of burglaries in the Blackhawk neighborhood on the city’s far northeast side over the past two months.

On Tuesday, Edwin Santiago, a resident of the 800 block of Congdon Avenue in Elgin, was arrested and charged by Cook County authorities with three felony counts of burglary and one felony count of theft. He was also charged in Kane County with four additional felony counts of burglary.

Police said Santiago burglarized at least seven vehicles during the burglary spree, taking personal items ranging from loose change to jewelry and GPS units. All of the vehicles had been left unlocked prior to the burglaries.

Detectives were able to identify and locate Santiago as the primary suspect after numerous stolen items were recovered from a local resale shop.

A search of Santiago’s residence uncovered other GPS Units, jewelry and electronics equipment ultimately linked to other burglaries, police said.

The Elgin Police Department is reminding residents to keep their vehicles locked at all times and to remove valuable items or keep them stored out of sight.