Police in several communities are issuing a warning to car owners after thieves stole hundreds of cars in the greater Hartford area using key fobs left in or near the vehicles.
In the first seven months of this year alone, Hartford police have recovered 235 stolen motor vehicles that were stolen from other towns, including a Hartford police officer’s personal car that was stolen in South Windsor last week.
Police said, should the pace continue, they will recover more than 425 stolen motor vehicles from out of town this year.
Glastonbury police have charged six juveniles from Hartford in car thefts and break-ins in their town in two separate incidents last year.
“We know that these individual suspects, these juvenile suspects we have arrested, have also been arrested, some of them, a dozen times by other towns for the same thing over the last year. The problem is they're just not being held,” Sgt Corey Davis, of Glastonbury Police, said.
One commonality investigators have found in the thefts of and from vehicles is that the stolen vehicles are newer model cars in which key fobs were left in the vehicle.
Hartford police said car thieves are targeting suburban towns within the region and pulling on car door handles.
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If the fob is left in the vehicle, or feet away from it, thieves only have to press the ignition button to start it up and drive away.
Wethersfield police said the number of thefts from cars in town has risen this year. Since June, more than 12 cars have been stolen and several other thefts from cars have been reported. In these cases, the cars have been left unlocked and the keys are inside or nearby.
Wethersfield police said large groups of teenagers have been going out very late at night to low-traffic, suburban neighborhoods and stealing wallets, laptops, phones, GPS units or any other small items of value from any car that is unlocked.
When the keys are inside the car, they will steal it, as well.
In West Hartford, there were 40 car break-ins last month and a dozen were stolen.
“If they find a car with keys in it they will take the car. Since January 1, we've had 11 stolen cars in Glastonbury in that fashion that have been linked to these unlocked car burglaries,” Davis said.
Hartford police are asking drivers to leave your key fobs in your pocket or pocketbook rather than in your car. If you notice somebody walking the streets or driveways checking door handles on cars, call local police.
Car Thefts:
- 2014: 226 thefts of cars from out of town recovered in Hartford
- 2015: 313 thefts of cars from out of town recovered in Hartford
- 2016: 235 thefts of cars from out of town recovered in Hartford from January through July
