Vehicle Stolen With Teen Inside In Downtown Fairfield: Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — A vehicle that was left running with a teen inside was stolen Monday in downtown Fairfield, police said.

The theft was reported about 6:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of the Post Road, according to police, who said the incident occurred when a couple parked the vehicle and left it on and occupied by the teen while they went to make a purchase at a nearby business.

A strange man entered the vehicle, and the teen instinctively left as the man told the minor to get out, police said. The man sped away, but detectives in an unmarked car found the stolen vehicle being driven in the Wordin Avenue area of Bridgeport and followed it onto Interstate 95, then Route 8, and finally Exit 18, according to police. Law enforcement briefly lost sight of the vehicle, but later found it, empty, on Caroline Street in Derby, police said.

“The Fairfield Police Department reminds residents to be vigilant of their surroundings and to be mindful that even when sitting in a parked vehicle, it is safest to keep the vehicle locked,” police said in a news release.

Near the scene of the crime in Fairfield, a black vehicle that appeared to be a Dodge Charger was reported fleeing with the stolen vehicle, according to police, who said the occupants of the Charger are believed to have been working with the thief.

The theft is being investigated by the Fairfield Police Department and the Regional Auto Theft Task Force.