MONROE, CT — Monroe residents were hit with a wave of thefts over the weekend, from Sunday into Monday.
In many cases, unlocked vehicles were either stolen or rummaged through. Police put out a Facebook post reminding residents to lock their vehicles and not to leave the key fobs inside.
Early Monday morning, a 73-year-old Florida man visiting a home on Old Castle Drive reported the theft of his wife’s white 2013 Lexus IS 250, which had been in the driveway, unlocked with the keys inside, sometime overnight, police said.
After it was stolen, the vehicle may have been used during a theft on Highfield Drive.
At a home on Highfield Drive on Monday, a woman heard a dog barking around 1:58 a.m. and looked out a window to see a white Lexus sedan with a Florida registration plate and a blue/gray Nissan at the end of the street.
Thieves who had stolen an unlocked white 2020 Acura MDX, with the key fob inside, from the woman’s open garage, were seen emptying the contents of the SUV into the Lexus, according to the report.
Police said the SUV had a handbag containing a driver’s license, six credit cards and $70 cash. The victim put an immediate hold on her credit card accounts and reported no fraudulent activity on her cards, the report said.
The woman’s husband got into his vehicle and followed the Acura east on Route 110, all the way to the entrance of Indian Well State Park in Shelton, before losing sight of it. Shelton police were notified of the theft, but were unable to find the stolen vehicle.
A neighbor on Highfield Road has a Ring camera, which caught video of a white sedan pulling up to their driveway. A male wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and a black jacket got out, attempted to open the door to one of the vehicles in the driveway, was unsuccessful and ran back to the car, police said.
Then the sedan drove out of camera range.
Thefts from motor vehicles
Aside from auto thefts, police officers responded to several reports from unlocked vehicles being entered.
On Monday morning, a Sentry Hill Road man told officers his 2017 Chevrolet Silverado was entered and his wallet was stolen from the center console. The wallet contained a driver’s license and a Bank of America credit card.
Police said the man canceled his card and did not notice any fraudulent activity at the time of the report.
The victim’s wallet was later recovered, inside his mailbox minus the driver’s license and credit cards.
He showed officers video surveillance footage of a tall slim male wearing gray pants and a black hooded sweatshirt attempt to access several vehicles parked in the driveway.
On Monday morning, a Longview Road woman reported the theft of a $35 pair of headphones from her unlocked 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which had been rummaged through sometime overnight.
On Monday, two Highland Drive residents reported their unlocked vehicles were entered and rummaged through, though nothing appeared to be missing in either case.
Also on Monday, a Countryside Drive man told police his unlocked 2015 Ford F150 was entered and $800 cash was taken from the center console.
