Nitrous oxide Tank

Two men from Chicago were arrested following an attempted theft of nitrous oxide gas from Advocate Condell Hospital in Libertyville.

Alejandro S. Cruz Jr., 28, of 5818 California Ave., Chicago, was charged Dec. 29 with attempted theft and possession of nitrous oxide with an intent to inhale for purposes of getting intoxicated. Brian S. Enriquez, 25, of 3931 Artesian Ave., Chicago, was charged Dec. 29 with possession of nitrous oxide.

Commonly known as “laughing gas, " nitrous oxide is used medically as an anesthetic.

Police reports say Cruz entered Condell around 9 p.m. claiming to work for the gas company Praxair and said he needed access to the nitrous oxide tanks for maintenance.

An internal memo was distributed to hospital staff several weeks ago warning of imposters, so officials called police. Officers collected a description of Cruz and the white box truck employees saw him driving.

A patrol car reportedly found Cruz and Enriquez in the truck near Cook Street and Brainerd Avenue. Upon inspecting the vehicle, police say they found one tank of nitrous oxide in the back cargo hold.

The hospital memo that led to the arrest was circulated after a July 25 incident at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in west suburban Downers Grove. A man claiming to be from a gas company told hospital employees he needed to work on the tanks.

About 30 minutes later 11 tanks valued at $2, 000 each went missing. The mysterious man reportedly rolled them off a loading dock and into a truck.

Downers Grove police Lt. David Bormann said the case has not been solved. He was, however, made aware of the Libertyville arrest and said he’s working with investigators to determine if Cruz and Enriquez were involved in the theft from Good Samaritan.

Libertyville police Sergeant Chad Roszkowiak said he’s never encountered a crime like this before, and is unaware of any new trends in Lake County the involve getting high off laughing gas.