Stealing an Unlocked, Idling SUV at Gas Station Proved Too Difficult for Would-Be Thief

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Darien Police SUV Pointed Right

A Darien police SUV with a "push bar" in the front.

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Don’t call the would-be thief stupid for trying to steal a Chevrolet Tahoe that was unlocked and idling outside a gas station. Who wouldn’t think it’d be like stealing candy from a baby?

Not that candy. Not nowadays.

Here’s the account police gave:

Sometime before 4:30 p.m., Monday, when police were called, a Black Subaru Legacy pulled into the parking lot, parked and the occupants watched customers at the gas pumps, according to a surveillance video recording at the station.

A store clerk told police he saw a male get out of the Subaru and get into the Tahoe, then get out of it again, soon afterward, and get back in the Subaru. The clerk called police to tell them that the theft was in progress.

The  video records showed the male get behind the wheel in the Tahoe. The break lights were seen going on and off, but the Tahoe didn’t move.

The Tahoe driver told police that he had left the vehicle running and unlocked, but had taken the key fob with him into the gas station. That, it appears, made all the difference.

— Leaving your vehicle idling can be not only bad for the environment and put it at risk of being stolen (well, some vehicles), but also violate state law, Darien police have said.

Soon after the incident, state police notified Darien police that a black Subaru had been involved in a stolen-vehicle incident at the Interstate 95 North rest stop in Darien.

The Subaru itself had been stolen in Bridgeport.

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