3 Accused Of Stealing $4,000 ​Worth Of Items From Trumbull Mall: PD

TRUMBULL, CT — Three women accused of stealing nearly $4,000 worth of merchandise from the Trumbull Mall were arrested Wednesday afternoon after two of the women ran from police, according to police.

In a news release, Police Lt. Brian Weir said officers received a report around 4 p.m. of two women shoplifting at the Sports Fever store at the mall who had since left.

Officers later determined the two women left the mall in a silver Jeep bearing a Pennsylvania registration plate driven by a third woman, Weir said.

Responding officers searched the area and located the Jeep in the parking lot of a TD Bank at the intersection of Main Street and Old Town Road in Bridgeport. The driver and two passengers matched the descriptions of the women involved in the Trumbull thefts, Weir said.

As police were speaking with the women, Diana Paola Cruz, 42, of Queens, N.Y., ran from the Jeep on foot toward the back of the bank. Diana Velez-Rodriguez, 37, of Queens, N.Y., also ran south down Main Street, Weir said.

Officers chased after both women on foot and quickly arrested Cruz behind the bank. Velez-Rodriguez was arrested a short distance away, Weir said.

The driver, 38-year-old Jennifer Zuluaga of Queens, N.Y., stayed with the Jeep and tried to remove stolen merchandise from the car by throwing the items into the bushes at the bank, Weir said.

A magnetic device commonly used by shoplifters to remove security sensors was found in Zuluaga's possession. Another magnetic device was found inside the Jeep along with large bags used to conceal the stolen merchandise, Weir said.

Officers recovered the stolen merchandise from the bushes and along the wood line of the bank property. Further investigation revealed all three women had shoplifted from several stores in the mall and officers recovered over $3,900 worth of stolen merchandise, Weir said.

Velez-Rodriguez, Zuluaga and Cruz were all charged with third-degree larceny, possession of a shoplifting device and interfering with police. They were each held on a $2,500 bond and are scheduled to appear in court next month, Weir said.