One Week, Four Incidents at Whole Foods

Last week was a lively one for Darien's , with no fewer than four incidents occurring that required help from emergency responders.

The commotion began at 6:56 p.m. on Tuesday, when sprinklers were triggered over the store's rotisserie chicken cooker. Investigators later determined that the hood above the cooker had not been operating properly.

The alarm brought firefighters to the address (150 Ledge Road) and shuttered the market for the remainder of the night, pending approval from health officials to reopen.

Then, at 9:36 a.m. on Thursday, a male customer contacted  saying that several items had been stolen from his vehicle while parked at the store. 

According to Darien Police Lt. Don Anderson, the man had gone into the market for about 10 minutes, leaving his 2008 Honda Civic unlocked in the lot. When he returned, he found that his $110 aviator-style sunglasses, his Discover card, and $10 in change had been taken from the sedan.

The next day, police received a call at 4:22 p.m. from a male customer whose wallet had apparently been stolen.

Anderson said the man had purchased coffee at the Whole Foods café, placed his wallet on the condiment counter, and realized he had forgotten it when he reached his car. It contained $350 at the time, the man told police.

After checking the counter and finding nothing there, the man had approached store officials, who told him an employee had found the wallet — empty — in the men's bathroom. Police said the employee is not believed to be involved in the larceny.

A subsequent check of surveillance video showed a heavyset, white female of roughly 5'5" in height approaching the condiment counter and placing the wallet in her Whole Foods shopping bag. After staying for a moment in the café, the video indicates she exited the store.

Anderson said police aren't sure how the wallet got into the men's bathroom.

Finally, as the same officer was responding to the stolen wallet call, a female customer approached him and said her purse had been stolen.

According to the woman, she had briefly left the item unattended in a cart while grocery shopping, returning a minute or two later to find it had been taken. The purse reportedly contained a BlackBerry and a wallet with credit cards, a driver's license, and $700 in cash.

The officer conducted a search of the store and of surrounding garbage cans but was unable to turn up the purse, Anderson said. He added that police are still reviewing security footage but have no suspects at this time. 

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