Greenwich PD: 'Team Work' Helped to Nab Suspected Car Thieves

Greenwich Police are crediting “a lot of team work” among its officers who nabbed two brothers suspected of trying to steal a high-end SUV in downtown Greenwich.

And Greenwich Police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray said investigators are now working with police departments “in other affluent towns in lower Fairfield County” to determine whether the suspects may be connected to a series of thefts of expensive sports utility vehicles in the region. Nearly two dozen vehicles have been stolen in Greenwich since last fall, most of which have been left unlocked with the keys inside.

The scenario unfolded shortly after 5 p.m. Aug. 14 when a 53-year-old New Canaan woman went to put packages into the trunk of her 2013 Range Rover that was parked on Greenwich Avenue near Lewis Street, according to Gray.

“She was on the Avenue shopping. She left packages in the car and continued shopping. She left the key fob in the cup holder,” Gray said. When the woman returned, she saw a suspect sitting in the driver’s seat, Gray said.

“She tapped on the window. He said, ‘Oh sorry,’ and nonchalantly walked away,” Gray said. The suspect, identified as Raymond A. Tejada, 24, of New York City, then got into an Acura with tinted windows that left the area, police said.

Using surveillance video that caught the incident on camera, Greenwich patrol officers were given photographs of the car and the suspect, Gray said. It was five hours later that officers on Greenwich Avenue spotted the car and conducted a motor vehicle stop and arrested the two brothers.“There was actionable evidence that was corroborated at the scene and the officers on patrol were diligent,” Gray said.

Police arrested Raymond Tejada who was charged with criminal attempt at first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny. After being held over the weekend in lieu of $200,000 bond, he appeared Monday in state Superior Court in Stamford where he was released on a promise to return to court on Aug. 31, according to the Connecticut Judicial Branch website.

Ronald A. Tejada, 20, was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny. He remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bond and also has an Aug. 31 court date, according to the Judicial Branch.

Greenwich Police photos: Raymond Tejada, left, and Ronald Tejada.