Police say robbery appears to be the motive. The crimes have occurred in Joliet and in nearby Crest Hill.
In a couple of the incidents, the offenders tied up victims after forcing their way into their homes.
In each of the four cases, some of the victims involved in the home invasions include young children. There is a pattern where three armed men break into the houses that makes police think that all of the incidents are connected.
The break-ins have left one resident on edge.
"I'm scared to go to work and go out of my house," said Vanessa Daniel, victim.
Daniels is shaken up after she says men broke into her home Friday night. Her daughter came back inside after going to her car and was followed by three armed men.
"When I opened the door for her, there was this young man pointing a gun. I said, get in the room...They sat us down in the front room, and the baby was hollering and they had us at gunpoint," said Daniel.
The men used duct tape to tie up Daneil's daughter, son-in-law and grandson and ransacked the house. They ran off with paperwork containing personal information. That home invasion in the 103rd block of Third Avenue and one Saturday night, where suspects took cash and an Xbox, are under investigation by Joliet police who say both cases are related and may have been committed by the same offenders.
"They definitely had an idea of what they were looking for when they went in these residents," said Mike Trafton, Joliet Police Department.
Investigators say nicknames are known for three of the four suspects: 'Twan,' 'Shorty' and 'Young.'
Joliet police have joined Crest Hill police who are investigating two similar home invasions there, both within a week of each other. In one case in the 1700-block of Nicholson, three armed victims tied up the victims before taking an undisclosed amount of money.
"It is the first time that anything has happened on our block," said Ron Kevish, neighbor.
In each of the four cases, the victims were not hurt. Police say they believe the victims were targeted.
Although Joliet police say they do not believe that these crimes are random, they have issued a crime alert to residents advising them to be more aware of their surroundings and advise anyone with information about these home invasions to give them a call.
