Public Safety
Darien Police SUV Pointed Right

Victim Spots Her Stolen Car, Police Get It Back

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A woman whose gray 2005 Audi had been stolen from her called police at 12:33 a.m. one night last week to tell them that she’d just seen it on Allen O’Neill Drive. Police were able to get it back. Darien police gave this description of what happened:

On Tuesday, not long after midnight, the woman called police to tell them she’d just seen the car, which had two people in it. Police went to the car and detained the two people, asking them about how they came to be in the car. Officers determined that the driver had bought the Audi with cash on Aug.

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Kurt Vanzuuk Greenwich PD arrest photo from Aug 25 08-28-17

Police: Man, 35, Drove Stolen Darien Car Into Greenwich, Where He Burglarized Cars

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When a 35-year-old man drove into Greenwich and entered vehicles sometime overnight Thursday into Friday, Aug. 24 and 25, even the car he rode in on was stolen, according to police. Greenwich police gave this account of what happened (including accusations not proven in court), according to the Greenwich Free Press:

Kurt Vanzuuk of Pacific Street, Stamford, drove to Greenwich in a Nissan previously stolen in Darien, then he started entering several vehicles, as well as an occupied home. Items that may have been loot from the thefts was found on him and in the car. At 5 a.m., a Greenwich man called police in that town to tell them he’d seen a man going into cars at the side of his house.

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Police Car

Police: License Plate Reader Picks Up One Stolen Car, Cops Given Several False Statements

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When a 40-year-old man was found in Darien driving a car stolen from Newark, N.J., one statement after another he gave to police proved untrue, officers said. Darien police described the arrest with this account, including accusations not proven in court:

At 10:05 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, officers on patrol were parked off of Hoyt Street when a gray Toyota Camry with Connecticut license plates drove past, headed south. As the car passed, the license plate reader in the patrol car indicated the vehicle’s registration information showed it had been reported stolen, so the police car took off. As police followed right behind the car, it suddenly made a turn onto Phillips Lane, parking in the driveway at 10 Phillips Lane. The patrol car pulled in behind and the emergency lights went on.

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Two Motor Vehicles Entered Saturday to Sunday and Police Ask for Public’s Help

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Two unlocked motor vehicles in Darien were entered on (it appears) two nights over the weekend, and Police Chief Ray Osborne is asking residents to help with overnight thefts, not only by locking cars, but by telling police when they find something suspicious. The motor vehicles were entered within a mile of one another. One was entered sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday evening, most likely in the several hours before dawn on Sunday, at 23 Chestnut St. The other was entered late Sunday evening at 41 Deepwood Road. Also within a mile of those two incidents, police became suspicious of three teenagers at a different location in town in the wee hours Sunday morning, but no criminal activity was seen, and police say they have no reason to suspect the boys had any connection to the incidents.

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Police Hope Stolen Car Found in Darien May Help Solve Motor Vehicle Burglaries Here

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Days before almost two dozen cars were entered last week in Darien — and shortly after several others had been entered in town — a car stolen in Newtown was found in Darien. “The investigation into this recovery, and its potential ties to other criminal activity, both in Darien and around Fairfield County, is continuing,” Darien police said in a news release. Police gave this description of the incident:

A resident of the street told police on Monday, April 10 that the car, a gray, 2015 Audi A4, had been parked on the street since the day before and appeared to be abandoned. The driver’s side door was open just a bit, and items, apparently contents from the glove compartment or center console, were strewn about the inside. Otherwise, the car was in good condition.

Public Safety
Lock Your Car Darien cops 02-16-17

Unlocked in Darien: Police Ask Residents to Lock Cars, Prevent Thefts

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In a recent interview, Duane Lovello, who just-retired as Darien police chief, said that town residents who leave their cars unlocked are the “bane of our existence.” Here’s a public announcement from Darien Police on the problem of unlocked vehicles, which points out that when you leave a car unlocked, it doesn’t just hurt you — it can potentially hurt others, especially if a stolen vehicle is pursued by police. On Wednesday night, for example, an unlocked vehicle with keys in it was stolen in Stamford and crashed in Darien, according to Stamford police. Since the beginning of the year, 12 cars have been reported entered, many with items stolen from them, and there have been three stolen cars in town, according to police. Here’s the announcement:

Yes, the Town of Darien is a very safe community.  So safe that residents don’t feel the need to lock their cars.  In fact, many choose to leave the keys in their cars, most likely for convenience.  As a result, a reputation has been established that Darien is very welcoming to car thieves.