Police say another vehicle—a Mercedes SUV left unlocked in an open garage, keys inside—was reported stolen this past weekend from a New Canaan residence.
Officers received a report at about 8:33 a.m. Sunday regarding the 2014 Mercedes ML350 on Old Studio Road, according to a press release issued by Police Chief Leon Krolikowski.
A wallet with $500 in it, credit card and golf clubs valued at $1,000 had been left inside the SUV, Krolikowski said. Another unlocked vehicle in the same driveway had been entered though nothing was reported stolen from it, he said.
Last Friday at about 11:27 a.m.,, police received a complaint from a New Canaan resident that their car had been entered while parked in the lot at the Country Club of New Canaan, the press release said. A credit card, $700 to $800 in cash, sterling silver credit card holder and Florida driver’s license all were stolen from a purse within the vehicle, according to Krolikowski.
“The vehicle owner stated that the owner may have accidentally hit the vehicle’s key fob which unlocked the vehicle,” the chief said in the press release. “There was no sign of a forced entry.”
According to data released at the June 16 meeting of the Police Commission, New Canaan has had 18 vehicles stolen through the first five months of 2021. In 2020, the figure stood at just eight for the same period, according to data from the police. New Canaan also had five more larcenies from motor vehicles in May, bringing the total to 22 through May 31 of this year, compared to 20 for the year-ago period.
Police also had already reported two more cars stolen in June, including a Mercedes GL550 taken from the Brookwood Lane driveway that had been left unlocked with the keys inside, and had about $150,000 worth of items left inside it.
Police Commission Chair Paul Foley has urged residents to be more vigilant about locking up their cars and removing valuable items from them.
Krolikowski said in the press release that “criminal gangs are active throughout Fairfield County.”
“In the past, some of the vehicles stolen in Fairfield County were used in violent crimes,” he said. “We urge our residents to be more cautious and practice good crime prevention strategies.”
Those include never leaving house or car keys inside a vehicle, keeping the perimeter of a driveway well lit at night, locking up, securing valuables, using car and home alarm systems and having security cameras installed.
Maybe it’s time for Fairfield county police to consider organizing and coordinating a sting operation with the cooperation of luxury car dealerships.
Rather than simply leaving our keys in our cars maybe we can post signs around town – “Welcome to New Canaan please steal our cars”