Teens Caught Burglarizing Vehicles At Oakdale Theatre: Wallingford Police

WALLINGFORD, CT — Three teens were arrested for burglarizing vehicles at the Oakdale Theatre Sunday night in Wallingford, according to police. In light of an increase in the thefts of and from vehicles in Wallingford and towns throughout the state, police are urging residents to lock their vehicles and to take the necessary precautions to avoid becoming a victim of a vehicle theft or burglary. Three teens in a stolen vehicle were also arrested early Monday morning after leading police on a pursuit through Wallingford before crashing into a guardrail while trying to exit Route 15 North in Meriden.

Wallingford Police continue to investigate complaints involving the theft of and the theft from motor vehicles throughout town, according to Lt. Michael Colavolpe. The thefts occur during late evening and into the overnight hours with the suspects targeting vehicles that have been left unlocked and those that the owners have left the vehicle’s keys inside. (To sign up for Wallingford breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

“The police department urges residents to lock their car doors and do not leave their keys or valuables inside the vehicle. By doing so, a crime of opportunity is created,” Colavolpe said in a press release. “A majority of the vehicles stolen have been recovered in Hamden, Hartford, or New Haven. The vehicles have been recovered with little or no damage. In some of the cases, arrests have been made and in others the vehicles have been located unoccupied. Those arrested have been male youths ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old.”

In the cases of thefts from motor vehicles, Colavolpe said the suspects have been using stolen vehicles from other communities to commit the crimes.

“Recently, police have interrupted some of these thefts while they were in progress, however, the suspects have led police in vehicle pursuits,” Colavolpe said. “Since the severity of the crime does not outweigh the danger to the public, the pursuits have been called off and the suspects have not been identified.”

Police have made several arrests in the theft from motor vehicles cases based upon various evidence, including fingerprint or DNA evidence that has been recovered from the scene in some cases, according to Colavolpe.

In other cases, the suspects have been identified through surveillance photos. The suspects have been male youths ranging in age from 15 to 18 years of old, according to Colavolpe.

On Sunday night, two juveniles — one from Newington and one from Middletown — along with an 18-year-old from Bridgeport were arrested at the Oakdale Theatre for entering into unlocked vehicles.

“The three suspects entered the vehicles while patrons were inside the theater attending a concert,” Colavolpe said. “One of the juveniles led police on a lengthy foot chase before being apprehended. Early this morning, two juveniles and an 18-year-old from Hartford were arrested following a pursuit in which they were operating a stolen vehicle out of Rocky Hill. It is suspected that police caught these suspects while they were casing out neighborhoods to commit more thefts.

“The Wallingford Police Department has increased their patrols of neighborhoods during the overnight hours but asks that residents be vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.”

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