CHICAGO CRIME: Residents say stolen goods are for sale on social media after thieves ransack a freight train in South Austin

CHICAGO (WLS) — As authorities continue to investigate a theft of railroad cargo that occurred in broad daylight Friday afternoon on the city's west side, nearby residents say they saw some of the stolen goods for sale.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

Union Pacific officials said at least six people were arrested for stealing items from the freight train.

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ABC7 spoke with people living near the scene in South Austin who said they had already seen some of the stolen merchandise for sale on the streets and on social media.

Chicago police are still searching for potential suspects responsible for stealing hundreds of boxes of merchandise from a freight train, with officers responding just before 4 p.m. Friday to the 400 block of North Lamon Street.

Chopper 7 arrested dozens of people who looted the Union Pacific Railroad near Lake and Lockwood, walking away with what appeared to be boxes of television sets.

A woman who lives nearby, and did not want to reveal her identity, said she was shocked by the amount of goods stolen.

“I'm a little frustrated about having this in our neighborhoods,” she said. “I understand that people need to make money, but this is not the way to do it.”

The resident told ABC7 she has already seen people selling stolen goods in the area.

The situation comes as Illinois Senator Dick Durbin helped pass a federal law last year, which will now force retailers and websites like Facebook to regulate the sale of stolen goods online. Otherwise, these companies may face fines of up to $50,000.

The Illinois Merchants Association says brazen crimes like this affect the entire community.

“There's a myth that there's insurance for this. There's no insurance for this,” said Rob Carr, president of the Illinois Merchants Association. “We are all victims of retail crime… because for every item stolen, no sales tax is collected… meaning that sales tax is not available to fund the resources we all depend on.”

While police and railway authorities continue to investigate the repeated thefts, residents hope changes can be made to prevent them from happening in the future.

“I would really like the trains… if they have to stop… there would be a guard or they would keep moving until there was a station where no one could reach the tracks,” an anonymous resident said. “That would be helpful.”

Authorities asked the public to report any suspicious sales of goods online.