NAUGATUCK, Conn. — A Naugatuck man is fighting for his life after confronting suspects who attempted to break into his car Tuesday shortly before 5 a.m. on Alma Street.
This comes after the town has been faced with a rash of car break-ins in recent months.
The girlfriend of Brandon Guth, 42, of Naugatuck said he is currently in a coma at Waterbury Hospital. He suffered life-threatening injuries after the incident. She spoke to FOX61 first on Wednesday morning on what she witnessed that morning.
“If this was your family, you know, laying there … he was a part of my strength, he was my matching set, he’s someone’s son, brother,” said Nicola Frizell, girlfriend of Guth.
Frizell said it all happened so quickly Tuesday morning when she saw Guth quickly running outside.
“The next time I saw him was a shadow moving across my room then getting onto an ambulance,” added Frizell.
Police said after Guth confronted the suspects outside, he was hit by the suspects’ black sedan which drove off and left his severely injured body on the road. They added the suspects intentionally struck Guth.
In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, police said a vehicle has been seized related to the investigation. Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit is currently processing the car for evidence.
Police were not able to provide additional details beyond that. They were not able to state if the suspects were juveniles or not.
Frizell said she keeps replaying the nightmare in her head.
“I looked out the window and I saw the accident where he was being swept down the street and I ran down the stairs afterwards and that’s when I saw him laying down on the street,” added Frizell.
The suspects also broke into another car down the street and shattered the driver glass window.
The homeowners’ ring camera captured surveillance footage of the suspects’ car moving and then coming to a halt.
“The black car came down, turned off his lights, somebody jumped out, tried to get in, it was locked so they broke the window, and they went through everything. Whole thing lasted 30, 45 seconds,” said Raynick Torres of Naugatuck.
Torres’ wife said the suspects appeared young and wants lawmakers to enforce stricter laws for juveniles if they end up being so.
“Sometimes a good whooping once in a while it’s good, not a beat down, but if you whoop them once in a while, they’ll listen. Discipline them!” said Alitsa Vega of Naugatuck.
FOX61 asked Mayor Pete Hess how the town is responding to the rash of car break-ins.
“We’ve purchased cameras which can detect stolen vehicles, so some of them are up, some of them aren’t up yet but they’re in our vehicles, so when a stolen vehicle comes into Naugatuck, we’re going to know it’s here,” said Mayor Pete Hess of the Town of Naugatuck.
Naugatuck Police is asking for the public's help in coming forward with tips or additional surveillance footage that may help with their investigation.
The family stated in the news conference Guth does not have health insurance.
As a result, they set up a GoFundMe page where thousands of dollars have already been donated.
If you would like to assist the family, click here for the page.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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