Police on Wednesday morning received 14 reports of car break-ins in New Canaan overnight, including one stolen SUV, officials say.
New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski
New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski is urging residents to lock their cars, and to not leave valuables or keys inside them. The break-ins were concentrated on upper Ponus Ridge and on Route 123 in the area of River Street, the chief said.
“Periodically we see this happen over the years, where a group comes into town to do multiple break-ins and thefts,” Krolikowski told NewCanaanite.com. “We see them enter vehicles and rifle through them, it happens in spurts and generally we’ve seen it happen in other neighboring towns at the same time. Without exception, we will catch them at some point, and hopefully sooner than later.”
The black 2006 Range Rover LR3 stolen from Ponus Ridge had its keys inside the vehicle, the chief confirmed.
It isn’t clear just what items were taken from the cars, police said.
Here’s a breakdown of just where the reports of break-ins came from (there could be more than one vehicle per complainant, according to Police Lt. Carol Ogrinc):
- River Street – 7 complainants
- Four Winds Lane – 1 complainant
- Brinckerhoff Avenue – 2 complainants
- Mortimer Street – 2 complainants
- New Norwalk Road – 1 complainant
The chief also urged residents to set their alarm systems and generally be aware of, and report, suspicious activity.
“It is likely that someone saw or heard something suspicious but didn’t call us,” Krolikowski said.
The break-ins likely happened some time between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Wednesday, he said.
Though the reported break-ins occurred on opposite sides of town, they likely are related, the chief said. Generally, police find that a single group enters New Canaan and trawls through town doing as much thieving as they can, he said.
Krolikowski said his detectives are “excellent” and he has full confidence they’ll catch the criminals, and is hoping that the residents of the town can take preemptive steps.
The reported car break-ins and car theft comes about three weeks after two cars were broken into, and one stolen (later recovered), from homes along the Route 123 corridor on the northern end of town—an investigation that remains open.
If any suspicious persons or vehicles are seen, please call the police department at (203) 594-3500.