SUV Connected To String Of Burglaries Found Crashed In Woods: HPD

HARRISON, NY — An SUV connected to a string of burglaries in the region was involved in a brief police pursuit and was later found crashed in a wooded area roughly 80 feet from the roadway.

Harrison police converged on the Lincoln Avenue corridor in Purchase on Monday evening after an officer spotted a suspicious vehicle linked to an ongoing investigation into a rash of home invasions.

Just before 9 p.m., an officer on patrol saw the SUV leaving a residential cul-de-sac off Lincoln Avenue and followed it onto the Hutchinson River Parkway southbound. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspicious SUV instead sped away. In the interest of public safety, and absent of proof that the vehicle had been involved in a crime, a police supervisor called off the pursuit, officials said.

The vehicle was last seen exiting the Hutch at Mamaroneck Avenue.

Investigators later learned that a home had been burglarized in the area where the suspicious SUV was first recognized. Police said that both the time of day and method of burglary were nearly identical to other recent burglaries in Harrison.

As part of the follow-up investigation, police checked the area of the Hutchinson River Parkway at Mamaroneck Avenue where the suspect SUV was last seen. Police found that the vehicle in question had crashed nearby. "The SUV launched itself some 80 feet from the exit ramp into a heavily wooded area," the Harrison Police Department spokesperson said in a statement.

The occupant or occupants of the vehicle had fled before police arrived on the scene.

Harrison Police Chief John Vasta is asking the community to immediately report any suspicious activity and take precautions to safeguard their homes. Residents are also being advised to ensure that alarms, if present, are working and armed, that doors and windows are locked, garage doors are down and locked and lights are on in the house.