Police say an SUV was reported stolen from the driveway of a New Canaan home before dawn Friday.
The 2013 Jeep Cherokee stolen from a Thurton Drive home was unlocked with the keys inside, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said in a press release.
The theft was reported at 2:35 a.m., he said.
“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal gangs are active throughout Fairfield County,” Krolikowski said in the release. He added that the criminals “don’t work from home.”
He referred to a practice now typical throughout New Canaan amid the coronavirus disease 2019 emergency, which has seen schools, parks and many businesses close in the past few weeks. Emergency Management Director Mike Handler said Saturday that New Canaan has 70 positive cases and has lost eight residents to the virus.
“The state has been slow to report positive test results and we expect that at some point we will get a large grouping of results from several days,” Handler said in a town-wide voice call. He added that scheduled testing for COVID-19 is available at area hospitals, with a doctor’s prescription.
Krolikowski re-issued the following safety tips:
- KEYS: When unattended NEVER leave the key to your home or key/key fob to your car inside a vehicle or in a place where a thief can find them. Do not leave the valet key, key fob or garage door opener inside of your vehicle.
- LIGHT UP YOUR HOME: At night, keep the perimeter of your home & driveway well lit. Low energy lighting switched on and off by photoelectric sensors (low light switches) is a cost-effective way to discourage criminals.
- LOCK-UP: ALWAYS lock all doors, garage doors and windows of your car and home whenever you leave, day or night, even for a short time. If you have a garage, put your car in it and lock/alarm both the car and the garage. All of the thefts from vehicles and vehicle thefts that occur in our Town involve unlocked vehicles.
- SECURE VALUABLES: NEVER leave valuables in your vehicle. Often, identity theft occurs when drivers’ licenses and credit cards are stolen.
- USE YOUR ALARM SYSTEM: ALWAYS activate your home and car alarm systems. Many successful crimes that occur in our Town involve houses or cars that have alarm systems that were not activated.
- SECURITY-VIDEO CAMERAS: Consider installing a security/video camera that covers the interior/exterior of your residence and the street near it. The price point of good quality camera systems has dropped recently making this a wise investment.