HARTFORD — In light of two school bus stop robberies this week in neighboring towns, Hartford Public School officials are asking parents to talk to their children about safety.
“Students should be escorted to the bus stop or from the bus stop, or they should be with a companion,” said John Fergus, a spokesperson for the district. “Be on guard. Be vigilant. See something, say something.”
According to police, early Monday morning, a 13-year-old boy waiting for his school bus in Wethersfield was attacked, punched and robbed of his cell phone. Wethersfield Police Department described the suspects as a group of 16-year-old boys, driving what they believed were stolen vehicles. Two days later, almost the exact same thing happened to a 14-year-old boy at a bus stop in Windsor, according to police.
“The kid lunged at him and started smacking him upside the head,” said Bill Binnenkade, a neighbor who witnessed the incident. “The car took off. I tried to look for the license plate, but it was covered up.”
Police described that car as a four-door black sedan.
Early Thursday morning, Hartford police recovered a 2018 black Hyundai Sonata that had been reported stolen out of Windsor on November 20. Police found the car torched on Lyme Street. They could not confirm that the cars are the same, but said the descriptions were similar.
“This time of year, there’s always an uptick in crime,” said Captain Thomas LePore of the Windsor Police Department.
LePore said everyone should remain vigilant.
“Lock your car, try not to leave packages on your front step, and do not wait at a bus stop alone,” he said.
These incidents are under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.