Hardworking Thieves Open Lots of Unlocked Darien Vehicles, Drive Off With Four

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Police Darien Police Lock Your Car Every Time

On the back of Darien Police patrol cars: "Lock your car. every time. Everywhere."

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Twenty-one vehicles were entered overnight from Sunday to Monday, Nov. 3 to 4, and most of the owners of those were the lucky ones, because in most cases, nothing was taken. Three other cars in town were stolen on the same night — and a fourth, several days later.

That’s a total of 25 vehicles entered (24 in one night), that police are aware of.

— Information in this article is from Darien police announcements released Monday.

The 24 vehicles entered that night were parked outside of 17 homes, with nine of them at Avalon Darien, 137 Hollow Tree Ridge Road. Also opened that night were vehicles parked outside of homes on Dickinson Road, East Trail, Holly Lane and Libby Lane (which intersects with Holly Lane) and Old Kings Highway South.

For the full list of addresses, see the bottom of this article.

Only one of the vehicles was locked — it was opened (and then stolen) because its keys were left in the victim’s other car, which was unlocked, like all the rest.

Items taken included two Apple laptops (in separate vehicles), a set of bedsheets, baby strollers, a set of golf clubs, $22 in cash, a checkbook.

In one vehicle, a “Ferragamo bag containing an Apple laptop, Apple ear pods, and several prescription medications” was stolen. They were in an unlocked Tesla.

Three Stolen Vehicles

One of the stolen cars, a Toyota 4Runner, was found later in Bridgeport with damage to the passenger-side fender, along with a wheel and axle, and there was damage to the rear of the SUV as well.

In addition, the SUV contained two child seats valued at $100 each,  a jogging stroller valued at $200, six “business ties” valued at $1,200 (neckties? we’ll ask police), and a set of golf clubs valued at $1,500. The total of all that is $3,100, and that doesn’t include repair costs.

The SUV was taken from outside a home at Avalon Darien, 137 Hollow Tree Ridge Road. Police said there were no signs of forced entry, and the victim believed a valet key may have been in the vehicle.

Police didn’t report that anyone had found the other stolen car, a 2016 Hyundai Accent, also at Avalon Darien. The victim said the keys hadn’t been left inside it, and it had been locked — but police later found out that the keys had been taken from the owner’s unlocked 2016 Mazda 6.

On Old Kings Highway South, a 2014 Nissan Altima was stolen from the driveway. Inside the car was a set of golf clubs valued at $3,000 and a phone valued at $1,000.

Another Unlocked Vehicle Stolen, But Days Later

Sometime overnight from Nov. 8 to 9, five nights after the long string of motor vehicle entries, a thief took a 2010 Jeep Wrangler, parked outside of 27 Patricia Lane, unlocked with the keys inside. The vehicle may have been stolen, but the good news was there wasn’t anything of value inside it.

Addresses

Here’s the full list of addresses (including the ones mentioned above) where unlocked cars were entered overnight (in a number of cases, more than one vehicle with an owner or owners in the same home were unlocked):

—22 Dickinson Road

—34 Dickinson Road

—39 Dickinson Road

—4 East Trail

—40 Holly Lane

—42 Holly Lane

—Avalon Darien, 137 Hollow Tree Ridge Road — from units 722, 913, 922, 1303, 1312, 1712, 1724, 2124, 2421,

—15 Libby Lane

—104 Old Kings Hwy. South

—27 Patricia Lane (Nov. 8 to 9)

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