DeKalb Police arrested two DeKalb youths July 28 who allegedly were involved in up to 61 car burglaries in the DeKalb and Sycamore area.

Fifty-six of the car burglaries occurred July 28, between midnight and about 3 a.m., said DeKalb Police Detective Dan Gerace. All of the cars involved were unlocked, he said.

Two juvenile males, a 15- and a 16-year-old, were arrested the following afternoon after one of the juveniles was identified by an employee at the Junction Eating Place, 816 W. Lincoln Hwy., Gerace said.

Gerace said the two youths ate at the Junction July 27, shortly before midnight the night of the 56 burglaries, and left the restaurant at about midnight without paying for their meals. An employee identified one of the youths, and DeKalb police brought him in for questioning, he said. Both youths were consequently arrested, he said.

Thirty-five of the burglaries took place in the Electric Park area in Sycamore, 21 occurring off of North First Street. Of those 21, 11 occurred outside of the DeKalb city limits, Gerace said. Five additional burglaries, which the youths have been linked to, occurred in the city of DeKalb within the last six weeks, Gerace said.

The total value of the items taken from the vehicles was estimated at $500, he said. Missing items included cameras, keys, change, radios and other miscellaneous items, Gerace said. Most of the stolen items were recovered by police from the juveniles’ residences, he said.

The investigation was a joint investigation between the DeKalb Police department and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, the report stated.

The youths were taken to the Kane County Juvenile Detention Center in Geneva, the police report stated. Gerace said their court hearing will be held on August 12.

The case began at approximately 3 a.m. (July 28), after some of the victims called in reports of the car burglaries to the DeKalb and Sycamore Police Departments, and the DeKalb Sheriff’s Office, the report stated. By 9 a.m. that morning approximately 50 reports were taken, the report stated.

The police departments are urging citizens to report any entries into their vehicles even if no items are taken, the report stated. The report stated there are still 12 car burglaries which have not been cleared with the departments and further investigation into these car burglaries is continuing.