Grandmother, mother, 3-year-old carjacked at gunpoint outside Park Ridge 7-Eleven, police say

A family was carjacked while out to buy milk Thursday night in the north suburbs, Park Ridge police said.

Park Ridge police responded just before 10:30 p.m. to a 7-Eleven, located at 814 Higgins Road, for a reported carjacking. Detectives told ABC7 the family is very shaken up.

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Police said a woman had parked her 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee in a parking space in front of the store before leaving her mother and 3-year-old in the backseat to walk in and buy some milk.

A man walked up to the vehicle holding a gun, and ordered the grandmother and child out of the vehicle, police said.

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They got out, and when the other woman walked out of the store, the suspect demanded her wallet, police said.

"He walks up, approaches the car and goes right up to that rear window and displays a gun, pointing it, and demands that they get out," Park Ridge Police Department Executive Officer Tom Gadomski said. "They're obviously in shock."

The man then drove away in their vehicle, according to police.

Illinois State Police later found the crashed car near 34th and Halsted streets in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood.

"Do what they say, don't try to fight it," Gadomski said. "Let the police handle that, but if a person has a gun, go along with what they're saying. This is happening all over the suburbs as well as Chicago. The key thing that we would say is be aware of your surroundings at all times. If you're going to stay in your car, keep it locked. But always be aware of your surroundings wherever you're at."

The victims were thankfully not injured during the carjacking, police said.

Police were not immediately able to find the suspect, who they described as a man between the ages of 19-25, having a slim build and wearing a blue baseball hat, dark shirt and blue jeans. Investigators released a photo of the suspect. Anyone with information has been asked to call police.