Two Mazda CX5s, apparently unlocked, were stolen overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, Sept. 18 to 19 from outside a house at 30 Huckleberry Lane
Five days later, one of the cars (crossover utility vehicles), occupied by three teenagers from Waterbury, were chased by police in Westport and Fairfield before it crashed against a utility pole, police said.
Two loaded magazines for handguns were found in the driver’s side door pocket, although police didn’t find handguns, according to Westport police, who warned the public not to confront people stealing vehicles, because this isn’t the first time guns or ammunition have been found with thieves of cars that hadn’t been locked.
Darien and Westport police described what happened in separate accounts, including accusations not proven in court:
In Westport and Fairfield
Westport police said:
The 18-year-old driver of the stolen car was bitten by a Westport police dog after he ran from the crashed car. Two 15-year-olds who were also in the car received minor injuries in the crash.
All three teenagers were taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Bridgeport for treatment.
At 3:15 a.m., a Westport police officer on patrol saw a car traveling unusually fast on the Post Road near 877 Post Road East. He followed the car and saw it stop in the middle of the roadway at the intersection of Post Road East and Long Lots Road. The car’s tail lights weren’t on.
The officer followed the car and then saw it stop for a traffic light at Roseville Road before making a quick right turn onto Roseville Road, heading into the opposite traffic lane. The officer checked the registration of the car and found it had been reported stolen in Darien.
The officer tried to get the car to stop, but the driver wouldn’t, and the officer started pursuing it. The car went onto Congress Street and entered Fairfield. Fairfield police, told of the pursuit, put stop sticks on the Congress Street roadway, which the car struck.
The above map shows the nine-mile route taken from Westport to Fairfield during the police pursuit. [Editor’s note: Through some kind of glitch on Google’s part, the Google Map embedded above mentions the name of a company and a club and two addresses, none of which have anything to do with this story.]
The pursuit continued up Black Rock Turnpike, onto Tanglewood and eventually onto Towne House Road, where the vehicle crashed into a utility pole and the operator fled on foot.
The driver, Jomar Perez, 18, of Waterbury, got out of the car and ran off, but he was quickly caught by Westport police officers and Westport police K-9 Kody.
When police searched the car, they found the two loaded 9mm handgun magazines, many debit cards and credit cards and several car keys to other vehicles. Since they found the magazines, police looked for firearms but didn’t find any.
The two 15-year-olds were each issued a summons charging them with first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny.
Perez was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor, resisting arrest, first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, disobeying a signal from a police officer, reckless driving and driving a motor vehicle without a driver’s license.
He was initially held on $25,000 bond and appeared the same day in state Superior Court in Norwalk, where his bond was increased to $100,000. His next court date is Thursday, Sept. 27.
In announcing the arrest, Westport police added this advice to the public:
Fairfield County has been plagued by car thefts and motor vehicle burglaries for the last year. Despite multiple warnings, we continue to be a target rich environment because residents leave their cars unlocked with their car keys and other valuables inside.
We urge residents to remove their belongings and secure their vehicles properly at night. Multiple firearms have been recovered from suspects in these crimes and from within the stolen motor vehicles.
Residents should not confront any suspects themselves. They are asked to notify the police department immediately if they observe suspicious vehicles and activity in their neighborhoods.
In Darien
Darien police said:
Sometime after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, the last of two 2015 Mazda CX5s was parked in the driveway of 30 Huckleberry Lane in Darien. By 5:33 a.m. the next morning, the owner reported the missing cars to police.
The owner told police he wasn’t sure whether or not the keys had been kept in the vehicles, which were used by his children.
Police found no evidence at the scene or by talking with neighbors, but down the street, at 41 Huckleberry Lane. a 2018 Toyota Highlander was found with its door ajar and the glove box open at 6:15 a.m.
A second vehicle parked nearby, a 2018 BMW, was locked and undisturbed. A third vehicle in the driveway, a 2007 Toyota Avalon, had its left front door ajar, but it didn’t look like anything was disturbed inside.
None of the owners were home at that time. Police were later told that nothing appeared to have been taken from the vehicles, which hadn’t been locked overnight.
Darienite.com reports addresses where vehicles have been stolen after having been unlocked. Neighbors should know who’s providing help to thieves, and we can’t see how making an address pubic hurts anyone in any way.