Stolen Car Suspects Admit 'Rifling Through Cars' in Wethersfield: PD

HARTFORD, CT — Two cars which were reported stolen from a Berlin residence Monday morning were recovered in Hartford several hours later, and three teenage suspects who were arrested told police they had also rifled through cars in Wethersfield.

At 6:46 a.m., a Berlin resident reported his home had been entered sometime during the night by forcing entry through a window screen. The perpetrators then stole the keys to two vehicles in his driveway, as well as the vehicles, Berlin Deputy Chief John Klett said.

Berlin police entered the vehicles in the COLLECT system as stolen at 9:35 a.m. Hartford police located one of the vehicles around 11:02 a.m. and, after a brief chase in which the car rammed a police cruiser, apprehended two suspects: a 16-year-old driving the car and a 19-year-old passenger, Klett said.

Berlin detectives, working closely with Hartford police, were able to identify a third 17-year-old suspect and the location of the second stolen vehicle, which was recovered in Hartford at 1:10 p.m., Klett said.

Hartford police have charged all three suspects in connection with the stolen cars. Under Connecticut law, the names of the 16- and 17-year-old suspects may not be released, but the Hartford arrest log for Monday indicates Gerald Jackson, 19, was charged at 12:18 p.m. with second-degree larceny, third-degree burglary and interfering with police.

According to Klett, the suspects stated they had rifled through cars in several neighborhoods in Newington and Wethersfield looking for unlocked cars or cars with the keys in them prior to coming to Berlin.

Berlin detectives are continuing their investigation and expect to submit arrest warrants for the crimes committed in Berlin, Klett said.

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