Aurora police have released a surveillance photo of a suspect wanted in several thefts where the man has feigned being in personal distress and talked employees of three businesses into giving him money for aid allegedly with the permission of the business owners. A similar attempt at a fourth establishment was unsuccessful.

The suspect is described as a balding white man, 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, between 165 and 190 pounds with a tattoo of a bird or eagle on his right arm and an unknown tattoo on his left arm.

The man attempted his ruse at two restaurants — one at 8:10 p.m. Sunday, July 26, in the 1200 block of North Lake Street and the other at 5:45 p.m. Monday, July 27, in the 2900 block of Kirk Road. He also tried it at two additional locations on July 27: a hotel at 1:03 a.m. in the 2400 block of Sullivan Road; and a gas station at 6:10 p.m. in the 1300 block of Butterfield Road.

Aside from saying he’s having a personal emergency, he also pretends to make phone calls to the business owners in the presence of the employees before telling them that the owners have granted permission for him to borrow money. He successfully obtained undisclosed amounts of cash from all of his targets except the hotel.

On one occasion, he was seen getting into a gray SUV, similar to a Jeep Renegade which was driven by a black male.

Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora Police Investigators at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Callers to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5000 for information that leads to any arrests. Tips can also be submitted through the Aurora Police Department’s free app available through iTunes, the Android Market, or Amazon App Store. Simply search for “My Police Department”, find the Aurora Police, and download.

SOURCE: Aurora Police Department press release