A soldier deployed in Iraq helped policemen stop two alleged burglars after he saw them outside his home in Park Ridge, Illinois, on Friday.
Officers received a call from Richard Wharton who said he was a soldier serving in Iraq and informed them that he saw two suspects outside his home by using a doorbell camera linked to his smartphone, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“The man reportedly told police he watched two people walk toward his garage on the 1800 block of South Fairview Avenue and then exit the garage holding several power tools,” the report said.
When officers arrived in the area around 2:30 a.m., they saw two suspects walking not far from Wharton’s home and carrying items investigators said were stolen from the garage.
Officers were able to quickly identify the suspects thanks to the soldier’s excellent description of them.
“We had officers right in the area and found the offenders and took them into custody,” said Tom Gadomski, executive officer of the Park Ridge police department.
The suspects, identified as 24-year-old Brandon Shaw of Arcola and 23-year-old Andres Gutierrez of Chicago, were both charged with three counts of burglary, according to ABC 7.
However, following their initial arrest, both of the men were “released on a personal recognizance bond after appearing in court Saturday, according to Cook County court records.”
The alleged burglars are due back in court on February 25, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Friday, Gadomski praised Wharton for his quick thinking, even though he was over 6,000 miles away at the time of the incident.
“He saw it and watched it and communicated great with us and called us right away,” he said, then thanked the soldier for his sacrifice for the nation.
“We just can’t say thank you enough for both serving his country and local community,” Gadomski concluded.