New Canaan is seeing an uptick in smash-and-grabs in parks and public lots, police say.
Recent motor vehicle-related larcenies include the following incidents, according to New Canaan Police:
- Waveny—smash-and-grab near the paddle tennis courts; wallet and other items stolen (5:03 p.m. on Aug. 27);
- New Canaan High School—smash-and-grab with a briefcase stolen (5:17 p.m. on Aug. 27);
- Waveny—smash-and-grab at paddle tennis courts; purse with credit cards and wallet stolen (5:32 p.m. on Aug. 27)
- Douglas Road residence—vehicle entered and steering column damaged in attempt to steal the car (5:46 p.m. on Aug. 26)
- Sunset Hill Road residence—two suspects flee after entering garage in attempt to steal car (5:40 p.m. on Aug. 25)
- Mortimer Street residence—unlocked vehicle with keys inside stolen from home and recovered in New Haven (6:27 a.m. on Aug. 24)
- Old Studio Road residence—unlocked vehicle entered and rummaged through, nothing stolen (12:49 p.m. on Aug. 24)
Lt. Marc DeFelice, NCPD’s public information officer, said authorities are urging residents to lock their vehicles, roll up the windows, secure valuables in an area such as the trunk and “keep valuables out of sight.”
“While enjoying the parks, be aware of your surroundings,” DeFelice told NewCanaanite.com. “A lot of times the suspect cars are rental cars, they are similar to those around town and blend in. It’s a crime of opportunity. Everyone should be a good witness—if you do see something happening, be a good witness, get a license plate and suspect ID, get as much information as possible and don’t wait, call us immediately.”
Vehicles predominantly are stolen overnight but police now are seeing thefts in the early evening, DeFelice said.
“If you have a garage, it’s best to put your car in it,” he said. “Once again, it’s a crime of opportunity. They are taking cars predominantly with the keys inside them, so a simple fix is to lock the cars and take the keys inside the house. Use nighttime motion-sensing lights for outside and, once again, if you hear anything at the house and you’re awake at night, be a good witness, get as much information as possible and call the police.”