Vehicle thefts drive concern: Seymour police investigate flurry of neighborhood incidents

Seymour police continue to investigate a rash of thefts from vehicles — many unlocked — reported Wednesday morning by city residents.

Rene Gross of North Jackson Park Drive was one of those hit by the break-ins and it has left her shaken. She lost a wallet containing cash she had hidden in her locked vehicle.

“I never got the cash back, but the people that did this came into my personal bubble; and now, I no longer feel safe in my own home,” Gross said. “I had a hard time sleeping last night just thinking about other people that may be their next victim and scared they would come back and come into the house, with my children sleeping. Even though I did not see them and it did not affect me in person, it did affect me.”

Gross said whoever took the wallet broke a window to get into the car.

She said an officer later returned some of the credit cards and other items that had been found in the downtown area. Someone later found her wallet and took it to the police station, Gross said.

Gross’ theft and the others reported Wednesday follow on the heels of several similar thefts this past weekend in the city, Police Chief Bill Abbott said Thursday.

“People expect other people to respect their property, and that just doesn’t happen,” Abbott said.

Some of the thefts are a reflection of today’s economic climate, he said, but stealing from a vehicle that might not even be locked and is parked along a street is just simply a crime of opportunity.

Abbott said people should take the keys out of their vehicles, lock the doors and hide any valuables they decide to leave in it. He added that most vehicle thefts police investigate involve vehicles in which the keys have been left in the ignition.

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