Two teens charged in 2023 carjacking near Libertyville

LIBERTYVILLE – After an extensive and detailed investigation, Lake County Sheriff’s detectives have identified two teens involved in the violent carjacking of a woman in unincorporated Libertyville in early 2023.

During the incident, the woman’s 2-year-old son, who was in the backseat of the car, was taken.

The investigation spanned several months due to the complexity of the case and the thorough work required to build a strong evidentiary foundation. Detectives pursued dozens of leads, meticulously reviewing hours of video surveillance, physical evidence reports, and cellular tower data. They also conducted multiple interviews with witnesses and persons of interest, and obtained subpoenas and search warrants to access critical information. Each step was crucial to ensure all findings were verified and could withstand judicial scrutiny.

The investigation ultimately identified two 17-year-old boys — one from Waukegan and one from Lindenhurst — as the individuals responsible for the crime. Both offenders, now 19 years old, are in custody on unrelated charges.

About 3:35 p.m. Feb. 23, 2023, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence in the 16000 block of Route 137, near Libertyville, for a vehicular hijacking with a 2-year-old child still inside the vehicle.

The 34-year-old victim had just returned to her residence. She pulled into her driveway and brought one of her children inside. She came back to her car to retrieve her 2-year-old son when a white BMW pulled into her driveway behind her 2021 Volkswagen Atlas, police said in a news release.

A man exited the passenger side of the BMW and struggled to get into the victim’s Volkswagen as she tried to keep her son safe. The man battered the woman, knocking her to the ground and then stole her car with the child inside. He and the driver of the BMW fled from the scene. One of the drivers ran the woman over as they fled, causing serious injuries. The woman was still able to call 911.

A short time later, a person working at a business in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive in Waukegan called 911 to report they just saw two vehicles enter the parking lot and the driver of one of the cars abandoned a small child. Sheriff’s deputies located the stolen Volkswagen in a parking lot near Casmir Pulaski and Route 43, police said.

Because both offenders were juveniles at the time of this crime, they were referred to the juvenile court system on charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking and vehicular hijacking.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office is currently working to have these charges transferred and tried in adult court. Until this process is completed, the Illinois Juvenile Court Act prohibits the release of the offenders’ identities.