ENFIELD – Homeowners in Enfield are waking up to discover a crime occurred in their own driveways. Thieves are stealing tires right out from under cars and leaving drivers stranded.
It happened to Charleen Turcotte on Putnam Drive Tuesday morning. She had tried to start her 2015 Honda Accord Sport around 6 a.m., but it wouldn’t go in reverse. She took a different vehicle to work instead.
Less than two hours later, her husband discovered all four tires and rims were missing. The car had been put on blocks in their driveway.
“He called me at work and he said, ‘You didn’t notice it was on blocks?’ and I was like, ‘The tires were there!’” said Turcotte, who said she had installed wheel locks.
The Turcottes believe the thieves had already tampered with the car before she tried to use it, and hid when she came outside.
The car is getting fixed and she should have it back by next week, but insurance can't cover the uneasy feeling she now has in her own home.
Turcotte said, “I can't tell you how many times I got up to check the doors last night, to make sure they were locked. Because if they're this close, what keeps them from going in the house?"
Turcotte said police canvassed her neighborhood, but no other residents in that area were targeted.
Over on Bridge Lane, a homeowner told FOX 61 she woke up on Sunday morning and discovered someone had stolen all four tires from her daughter’s older-model Honda Fit.
Enfield Police say it is a common crime. They did not have a specific number on how many of these thefts they’re currently investigating.