Four vehicles were stolen and another vehicle stolen from elsewhere was left in town sometime overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, Nov. 13 to 14, and on that night, the night before and on the night of Nov. 15 to 16, another 11 vehicles were entered.
All but one of the 15 Darien vehicles were unlocked, and the locked vehicle was found with an open rear window. Three of the four stolen vehicles had their keys in them (it isn’t obvious how the fourth one was stolen). The vehicle stolen from elsewhere also had part of a package in it from a Kensett Lane home.
Darien police provided these accounts, mostly based on reports from the owners:
Stolen Darien Vehicles
Three of the stolen Darien vehicles were reported missing on Nov. 14, and one stolen from Berlin, Connecticut was left in Darien. A fourth Darien vehicle was reported stolen on Nov. 16:
Both a 2014 Subaru Forester and 2012 Toyota Highlander were stolen from the driveway.
The Forester had in it golf clubs (valued at $3,000),Sunglasses ($100), paddle ball equipment ($300), an EZ Pass transponder ($50) and $20 in cash (total estimated value: $3,470). The Highlander had in it five pairs of sunglasses valued at $1,200, an EZ Pass transponder ($50), $25 in cash and clothing.
Tire tracks from where the vehicles were parked could be seen across the front lawn to the street. The victim said keys for both vehicles and the house were on a key ring left inside the Highlander.
A third vehicle in the driveway had been locked. It wasn’t disturbed.
A 2019 Ford Expedition, which had been rented from Enterprise, was stolen from the driveway, where it had been parked unlocked, with the keys inside.
—Highland Avenue — Friday to Saturday, Nov. 15 to 16
A 2011 Subaru Outback was stolen from the driveway. In this case, the vehicle had been locked, and the victim still had both sets of keys. At the corner of Academy Street and Fairview Avenue, the SUV was found by police who were canvasing the neighborhood to find other cars that had been entered.
In this case, it isn’t obvious how the vehicle had been moved or, if it had been started, how: The vehicle was locked, and there were no signs that the ignition had been tampered with. There were no signs of forced entry, but the rear passenger window was completely open.
Stolen Vehicle Found With Package
St. Johns Place — Wednesday to Thursday, Nov. 13 to 14
Police canvassing a neighborhood on Thursday, Nov. 14 saw a 2019 Honda Pilot parked in front of a house on St. Johns Place. Police checked state Department of Motor Vehicles records and found out it had been stolen on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from Berlin, Connecticut.
The SUV had minor damage to a rear bumper. Inside, police found a FedEx package addressed to a home on Kensett Lane in Darien.
Police contacted the addressee of the package, who told them it had been missing, even though the carrier reported that it had been delivered. It had contained humidifier parts, a book and cleaning products. Police saw that the cleaning products were no longer in it.
Other Vehicles Entered
Tuesday to Wednesday, Nov. 12 to 13
All five locations are within a mile of each other.
—103 West Ave. — 2016 Ford Expedition — passenger side door found slightly ajar and items inside seemed to have been moved — nothing known to be missing
—105 West Ave. — 2015 Volvo XC60 — driver’s side door ajar — items inside clearly rummaged through — nothing known to be missing
—223 West Ave. — 2018 Dodge Durango — items inside were in disarray — nothing known to be missing
—17 Allen O’Neill Dr. — 2016 Volvo X60 — owner was unsure if it had been locked, but there were no signs of forced entry — stolen was a purse containing the victim’s driver’s license, bank cards and $40 in cash
—24 Allen O’Neill Dr. — 2017 Subaru Forester — items inside were in disarray — nothing known to be missing
Wednesday to Thursday, Nov. 13 to 14
On this same night, the vehicles at 19 Archer Lane and 17 Cherry St. were stolen and the vehicle stolen in Berlin was found on St. Johns Place. All of these locations are within three blocks of each other.
—11 Cherry St. — 2018 Mazda CX — interior compartments found open — nothing known to be missing
—24 Fitch Ave. — 2018 Mercedes sedan — interior compartments found open — nothing known to be missing
Friday to Saturday, Nov. 15 to 16
This is the same night a vehicle was stolen on Highland Avenue and later found a block away at the intersection of Academy Street and Fairview Avenue. Mansfield Place, the farthest of the locations this night, is less than a mile north from the rest.
—19 Academy St. — 2018 Land Rover — interior compartments found open — nothing known to be missing
—20 Academy St. — 2019 Mazda CX-5 — interior compartments found open — nothing known to be missing
—2 Mansfield Pl. — 2017 Land Rover and 2017 BMW 5-Series — interior compartments found open — iPhone charger missing from the Land Rover