A quick-thinking downtown restaurant helped Elmhurst police catch a man who stole credit cards from three other eateries during the Aug. 20 lunch hour, according to an Elmhurst Police Department news release.

Anron E. Wrighton, 28, of Bronx, New York, walked into three downtown restaurants Thursday, Aug. 20, told employees he had left his credit card behind, then grabbed other customers' cards from the registers, Patch reported, citing the EPD release.

A fourth restaurant caught on and called 911.

Officers chased Wrighton across Palmer Drive before apprehending him. He was charged with three counts of burglary, attempted theft and resisting a police officer, then taken to DuPage County Jail.

Police warning for downtown businesses

The Elmhurst Police Department urged local businesses to watch for financial crimes including credit card theft and quick-change currency scams. The department's warning comes less than a week after a separate phone-based scam in which a resident on South Parkside Avenue gave his credit card number to a caller who promised to pay off all his debt in one payment.

The in-person scheme Wrighton allegedly used is simple: a stranger approaches a register, claims to be retrieving a card left earlier, and walks out with someone else's payment method. Restaurant staff who verify card ownership before handing one over can stop it cold.

Residents who spot suspicious activity downtown can call the Elmhurst Police Department at (630) 530-3050.

Council approves plate-reader cameras

The arrest came the same day the Elmhurst City Council unanimously approved a one-year, $45,000 contract for 22 Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras, according to Patch. The cameras give police a new tool for tracking suspects across the downtown area. The contract was approved at the council's Aug. 20 meeting.