The Darien Police Department warns residents to lock their vehicles or risk losing items from the car or the car itself.
“Subjects will normally pull on car door handles during the late night hours, enter unlocked vehicles and steal anything they find of value. If they find a garage door opener in the vehicle, they can use it to enter your garage and possibly your home, putting your entire family at risk,” Darien Police Cmdr. Edward Rentka.
In less than 24 hours, five vehicles were searched, burglarized or stolen in Darien recently.
Three pairs of sunglasses, a pair of headphones and work identification were reported stolen at about 1:15 a.m. July 28 from two vehicles that were parked unlocked in a driveway on the 2700 block of Woodmere Drive. The total value of the missing items was estimated to be $1,180.
Another unlocked vehicle on the same block had been entered, but nothing apparently had been taken from it.
While canvassing the neighborhood in response to the thefts, police officers noticed a security camera at one of the homes and asked the homeowner for permission to view the overnight recording. The footage showed a suspect enter an open garage on the 2700 block of Woodmere at 1:22 a.m. July 28 and steal an unlocked black Hyundai Sonata that was parked inside. The suspect closed the garage door after exiting.
Later that day, a wallet and money were reported stolen from a vehicle in a driveway on the 3300 block of Gilbert Court. The loss, which occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. July 28, was estimated at $60. It was not known whether the car was locked or not, but there were no signs of forced entry.
Police advise residents not to leave valuables in the car. If people must keep them there, keep them out of sight and hide docking stations and connector cables that would indicate valuables are in the vehicle.
Drivers should always lock their vehicles even if they will be away only for a short while. Every month, residents who have had items stolen from their unlocked cars tell officers they were gone “just for a second,” Rentka said.
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