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Thief Distracts Pregnant Shopkeeper By Asking Due Date, Then Steals Wallet

By Alisa Hauser | July 14, 2015 3:37pm | Updated on July 14, 2015 3:57pm
 A photo of Nicole Northway, and her rings and wallet.
A photo of Nicole Northway, and her rings and wallet.
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WICKER PARK — A store owner who's expecting a baby in four months says a thief distracted her by asking about her pregnancy in order to steal her wallet that also included her engagement and wedding rings.

The owner of the Division Street boutique says that her wallet contained $450 in cash she had set aside to buy a crib.

Officer Ana Pacheco, a Chicago Police spokeswoman, confirmed that the incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. Monday at 2124 W. Division St. in Wicker Park.

Nicole Northway, owner of One Strange Bird, which sells handmade gifts and art, said that it was rare for her to have so much cash, but the money was a gift from her parents. Northway, who is five months pregnant, said she had planned an after-work shopping trip with her husband, Cody Kirchner.

Alisa Hauser explains how the alleged theft was carried out:

Northway said that she had just finished giving her sister some stamps from her wallet when the phone rang and a woman walked into the shop. Northway put her black leather Kate Spade wallet on her desk, behind the counter but visible, as the woman pretended to shop around.

"I came up front to untangle necklaces and then she started talking with me and chit chatting, asking about my due date and was trying to distract me," Northway said.

At that point, a delivery guy came in and a dog started barking, so Northway turned her back to attend to the delivery and dog.

Northway described the alleged thief as a black woman, around age 45 or 50, 5-foot-5 inches tall, a bit heavyset, with shoulder-length black curly hair. The woman was wearing a light blue shirt, blue jeans and brown sandals.

"I want to warn other local shop owners of this woman," Northway said, adding that she has reached out to a nearby business to see if there is video surveillance footage.

Northway said she knew the woman had stolen the wallet because right after the woman left the store there was a call from American Express fraud protection, alerted by a $100 charge at a gas pump and an attempt to take $200 from an ATM.

After canceling her credit cards, Northway filed a police report around 5 p.m. Monday, yet it was not until five hours later that she realized her wedding and engagement rings were also in the wallet.

Because her fingers had been swollen, Northway had placed the rings in her wallet on Sunday while she was out shopping, but forgot about them.

Around 10 p.m. Monday, Northway asked her husband if he'd seen her rings around the house and then it dawned on both of them that the rings were in her wallet.

"I was devastated! Crying like a baby. Cody [husband] was holding me while I was crying," she said.

The white gold diamond engagement ring has a center round cut diamond and four smaller diamonds in the band. The matching wedding band also has similar diamonds.

Northway, who has homeowner's insurance, filed a claim for the rings and is sharing the description in hopes someone will spot the rings, perhaps at a pawn shop.

"It was just the only possession I care about. It was so sentimental to me," she said of the jewelry.

Originally from Collinsville, Illinois, Northway admits to having "a small town mentality."

"I always give people the benefit of the doubt. The city has given a lot but has taken a lot, too," she said.

One Strange Bird opened in Humboldt Park in 2011 and relocated to Wicker Park in 2013.

"At the old location we had cell phones stolen and an employee getting harassed. This is the first bad thing that has happened in this store," Northway said, though she added that in recent weeks a neighboring pet shop had a cell phone stolen and there were fake $100 bills circulating at a toy store a few doors west.

Northway said that after the delivery driver left, the woman still engaged in conversation and even asked if the shop was hiring.

"I will take a friendly thief over an armed thief. It could have been scarier. I am just happy that me and baby are safe," Northway said.

Northway's sister Madeline launched a GoFundMe campaign to replace the stolen cash so that a crib can be bought.

"I've never made something like this before because I don't believe in handouts, but I do believe in being a good person and paying it forward," Madeline Northway posted on the "Nicole's Stolen Wallet Fund" page.

Reflecting on all that her sister and brother-in-law have done for her, as well as giving "back to the community and in-need friends countless times expecting none in return," Madeline Northway said, "Even $5 will help."

"Baby Northway-Kirchner will even give you a goopy kiss on the face when she comes too. ;)," Madeline Northway said.

Within three hours the full amount was raised through 12 donations.

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