GUILFORD, Conn. — Guilford Police are sounding the alarm about car thefts in Connecticut after another stream of them happened in a few shoreline towns early Thursday morning. The thefts took place in Guilford, Madison and Branford around the same time.
The car theft and burglary in Guilford happened around 6 a.m. Thursday on Uncas Circle.
Police Chief Butch Hyatt said at least one young man drove down the private road and went looking for unlocked cars. When he found locked cars in the driveway at one home, he took it a step further.
"The cars were locked. But the garage and the house were open. And they entered the house and got the keys to the cars that way," Hyatt said.
While inside, police confirmed they stole credit cards, small electronics, wallets, purses, and more. They were in and out within minutes and did it all while everyone, including a dog, was home.
"We do know there were other incidents in our joining towns around the same time frame. Not sure if it's the same group, possibly the same group," Hyatt said.
Police posted it all on Facebook, wanting to send a message about public safety.
The Facebook post claims the perpetrators of the crimes went on a spending spree in Naugatuck. It says they did this with "the stolen credit cards of multiple victims and ultimately ditched 2 out of the 3 stolen cars in Waterbury."
Hyatt wants this to be a reminder for folks to pay attention to safety messaging about locking their cars and homes. Car thefts have been happening on a more frequent basis across the state.
In Waterbury alone, a spokesperson for the police department said from January up until Aug. 31st, the city saw 42 car thefts. The spokesperson said that's more than a 29 percent increase from the year 2020 as a whole.
"The simplest way to take away the opportunity for somebody who wants to do this is to lock your car, lock your house, keep your valuables out of sight," Chief Hyatt said.
The thefts and burglary in Guilford have neighbors concerned about their safety.
"It's a real gut check because you don't think in a very rural, trusting neighborhood where you know everybody that this is going to happen here," said Bonnie Rothberg. "Unfortunately these are the times and the conditions that we live in and everybody has to be vigilant."
And police want people to start calling them if they see something or someone that looks suspicious.
"Three o'clock in the morning, somebody walking through your yard, you should be giving us a call," Hyatt said.
Hyatt said they do not have any official suspects at this time. They are working with Madison and Branford police to see if these incidents are related.
If you have any information, call Guilford Police at (203) 453-8061.
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