South Windsor Man Helps Police Recover Stolen Truck

A South Windsor man helped police recover a stolen truck that had been taken from the parking lot of the Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester on Wednesday.

Manchester police took a report of a stolen 2004 Isuzu box truck from the Shoppes at Buckland Hills around noon Wednesday and the driver was apprehended and arrested a short time later.

Rafael Rodriguez, 53, of East Hartford, was charged with first-degree larceny and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was held in lieu of $75,000 bond, and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Manchester Superior Court.

South Windsor Officer Dave Gesualdi called a local man to follow up on a case investigation and while he was talking to the man on his cellphone, South Windsor dispatchers broadcast a report on the stolen truck, according to Deputy Chief Scott Custer.

Custer said the citizen overheard the radio broadcast on the phone and told Gesualdi “that stolen truck is in front of me on I-84 in Hartford.”

South Windsor dispatchers coordinated with the State Police and Hartford Police as the citizen followed the stolen truck into Hartford.

The stolen vehicle was then stopped by officers and the suspect operating it was arrested.

“This is a great job by all involved, and particularly by our local citizen who went above and beyond to help someone get their stolen truck back,” Custer said.

Custer also pointed that using a hands-free cellphone device to speak with a police officer while driving is perfectly legal.

Photo courtesy of Manchester Police Department