Teens Suspects in Berlin Car Thefts Arrested in Hartford

Police have arrested three teens in Hartford who are suspected of car thefts in Berlin.

Authorities said two of the teens have an extensive criminal history and one had previously been arrested at least five times for similar crimes. 

A resident of Overhill Drive in Berlin called local police at 6:46 a.m. on Monday and reported someone broke into his house through a window screen, grabbed keys for two vehicles in the driveway and stole the cars, according to police. 

Berlin police entered the vehicles in their system as stolen at 9:35 a.m. and Hartford police stopped one of the vehicles around 11 a.m. following a brief chase in which the 16-year-old driver rammed a police cruiser, police said. 

Officers took the 16-year-old driver and 19-year-old Gerald Jackson passenger into custody. The driver has previously been arrested in Hartford five times, including for two pursuits, and has been issued a summons to appear in juvenile court, officials said. 

Berlin police said the victim’s other stolen car was found in Hartford at 1:10 p.m.

The suspects told police they had rifled through cars in several neighborhoods in Newington and Wethersfield, looking for unlocked cars or cars with the keys in them, before going to Berlin, police said. 

Hartford Police charged all Jackson and the two juveniles in connection with the stolen cars and a home breakin-in in Berlin. Police said the suspects admitted to being involved in other crimes. 

"As far as we can tell when they went into the house they only got as far as the keys they were specifically looking for the keys when they went into that and that’s what they were looking for all night. Because we got information from them that they had gone through vehicles in Newington and Wethersfield specifically looking for keys," said Deputy Chief John Klett with the Berlin Police Department.

Berlin detectives continue to investigate and said they expect to submit arrest warrants for the crimes committed in Berlin. 

Berlin police are also urging residents to lock their homes and vehicles and report any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. 

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