Police Nab Suspects in West Hartford Burglaries

Two young men suspected of burglarizing homes in West Hartford on Monday morning have been taken into custody.

Joseph Israel Bultron-Romero, 20, and Juan Carlos Baez, Jr., 18, both of Hartford, were arrested behind the Shepherd Park elderly housing complex on Sisson Avenue in Hartford.

The suspects are accused of forcing their way through glass doors to enter homes on Warrenton Avenue and Concord Street in West Hartford.

"I'm just really fortunate nothing tragic happened," said Jim Wasoka, of West Hartford, who was in the basement of his home on Warrenton Avenue when the suspects broke in around noon Monday.

Wasoka said he walked upstairs after hearing a strange noise in the house and found the door open.

"I went outside to see who it could be and I saw two men riding away in bicycles, and they had backpacks that were pretty stuffed with items," he explained.

Wasoka called 911 and detectives arrived on scene to search for the perpetrators. As soon as police spotted them, the men dropped their bikes and took off.

"After a brief pursuit, both of the individuals were captured," said West Hartford police Capt. Frank Fallon.

Hartford police found them in the area of Capitol and Sissan Avenues in Hartford and took them into custody.

Authorities recovered the two bikes and a backpack with stolen items inside and said the suspects have also been linked to other unsolved burglaries in West Hartford and Hartford.

Police initially said they were behind another home burglary on North Quaker Lane, but wrote in a press release Monday night that investigators are still working to determine whether the third break-in is connected.

Nothing was taken from the interrupted burglary on Warrenton Avenue, but police said the suspects made off with jewelry and electronics from the house on Concord Street.

Police responded and noticed signs of forced entry through a glass door, just like at the Warrenton home.

Bultran-Romero and Baez are each facing multiple charges, including burglary, larceny and interfering with an officer.

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