Teen Girl Arrested in Farmington Car Theft Series

FARMINGTON, CT — Several car thefts and burglaries were reported to Farmington police during the overnight hours Tuesday, and a 15-year-old girl with a prior record for similar crimes was taken into custody.

Three cars were reported stolen and another four were burglarized. Two of the stolen cars had GPS tracking systems and were located in Waterbury, Lt. Patrick Buckley said.

Farmington police coordinated with Waterbury and state police and located both cars in Waterbury being operated by several teenagers who appeared to be juveniles. One of the cars fled from police, and the occupants of another fled on foot, Buckley said.

A 15-year-old girl from Waterbury was taken into custody by police at the location; she has been arrested several times in the past for her role in burglarizing motor vehicles and possessing stolen motor vehicles. Several months ago, the unidentified girl was stealing items from an unlocked car in Ridgefield when she was shot by the vehicle’s owner, Buckley said.

The other suspects who fled on foot were unable to be located. The second vehicle was found a short distance away in Waterbury, after attempting to ram several police vehicles, attempting to hit a state trooper who was on foot and had to jump out of the way, and driving off the roadway at high speeds and onto sidewalks and grassy areas to avoid police, Buckley said.

The second car was located abandoned several streets away, and was held for evidentiary processing. Four other stolen cars from prior thefts in area towns were located in the area where the second car was abandoned, according to Buckley.

"Police have learned from these recent instances that the same 15-20 juvenile suspects are routinely heading to towns outside Waterbury to steal from unlocked motor vehicles," Buckley said. "They use a stolen car and will carry as many passengers as possible. The juveniles will take any cars with keys or key fobs left inside them. The thieves are brazen, they will not stop for the police if signaled to do so, and they are oftentimes armed. The juveniles have told police that they laugh about getting arrested because they know they will be free in a few hours.

Buckley implores citizens to lock their cars and keep valuables hidden, or not left inside the car at all.

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