Branford Police Arrest Suspect, 18, in Stolen Car

BRANFORD, CT — An 18-year-old New Bedford, MA, man was arrested in Branford early Tuesday after police discovered he was sitting in a stolen car out of West Haven.

Esteban Melendez was arrested at about 4:30 a.m. after police discovered him sitting in a parked car at the Branford Shell gas station on Leetes Island Road.

While patrolling the area, Off. Chris Cope "noticed that one of the vehicles parked in the rear had no morning dew on its windows compared to theothers parked nearby," according to a police statement.

"As he began to investigate closer, a male, later identified as Esteban Melendez (DOB 3/9/1998) of... New Bedford, MA, popped up in the driver’s seat and immediately raised his hands in the air. As Officer Cope spoke with Melendez, he could see that the column, under the vehicle’ssteering wheel was missing and wires were hanging out. Additionally, the 1999 Honda Civic was running with no keys in the ignition."

According to police, the car had been stolen out of West Haven, but the owner had not yet noticed it had been stolen when police contacted them about it.

Melendez was taken into custody by Officers Cope and Bryan McGinnis, and they located a small bag of marijuana in his pant pocket.

He was charged with Criminal Trover 1st Degree, Larceny 3rd Degree, and Possession of under 1/2 ounce of marijuana. Police said he was additionally charged with Interfering with an Officer’s Investigation for providing false identification; authorities were able to determine Melendez's real identity through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System.

Melendez was held in lieu of a $10,000 bond pending arraignment in New Haven Superior Court today, Aug. 23.

Photo: Esteban Melendez. Photo credit: Branford Police Department