Man says surveillance video catches license plate theft attempt

A Riverwest man says he was able to catch a would-be license plate thief in the act.

"I was just gonna get in the shower, and I just glanced up at the camera and saw somebody kneeling behind my car and a van parked right here," said Tony Balistreri.

His home surveillance cameras appear to show the guy trying to stealing the license plate one screw at a time. An SUV coming down the alley spooked him once, Balistreri coming outside is what scared him right after.

"Get my dogs out of the way to get out the door, get out here, the dogs made enough noise, he started running," Balistreri said.

Balistreri was able to get the license plate that was on the white Dodge Caravan, which looked odd to him, and called police.

"They ran it and it came up to a motorcycle, so obviously they were looking for a legitimate plate to steal to do whatever it is they're doing," he added.

Home surveillance cameras, like the one that show this, are catching on in popularity.

"I do think it definitely helps police catch criminals when crimes happen, and can help deter crime," said Alderman Nik Kovac.

Balistreri hopes it helps in this case.

"I think they'll see who that is, and turn him in, we'll get him off the streets soon," Balistreri said.

He said the guy was driving a white Dodge Caravan with custom clear tail lights.