MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — A Middletown homeowner is sounding the alarm after he said someone got into his car and tried to steal the vehicle. The moments were caught on the car’s dash camera and shared with FOX61.
In the dashcam video, you can hear what sounds like the suspect entering the car in front of the owner’s home, trying to accelerate while the car was in park, but moments later, the suspect runs from the car into another SUV down the street.
The Middletown resident did not want us to reveal his name for safety reasons but agreed to share his story with FOX61 to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
He said Thursday morning around 6 a.m. he was getting ready to leave for work and took his car out of the garage. He parked on the street in front of his home on Morning Glory Drive as he typically does, but this time, the car was left running and unattended with the keys inside.
“I went inside. I closed the garage and then I was about to leave and I saw this guy standing next to my car,” the owner said. “He ducked. He ducked as soon as I opened my door. And then he went inside, got inside my car and locked the door.”
On the dash cam footage, you can hear the owner yell, “Hey!” and the suspect can be heard breathing heavily. The owner said he tried to get in the car but the doors were locked from inside.
“I started pounding on my window, telling him to get out of my car and I can see that he’s been struggling. Trying to get the gear from park to drive,” the owner said.
You can hear what sounds like the suspect stepping on the accelerator in the video. The owner’s wife starts to scream and he runs to her, the video catches the suspect in a black hoodie and mask running from the car into another SUV down the street.
“Running towards the getaway car,” the owner said.
The family called 911. No one was injured and nothing was stolen, but it was an eye-opening experience for the family.
“It was pretty scary,” the Middletown resident said. ”It’s a warning to everyone not to leave your car running even for a few seconds. It was a few seconds.”
FOX61 reached out to Middletown Police who confirm they received the suspicious activity complaint. They added that they don’t have any suspects at this time, and have no way of knowing if this was an attempt to steal the car or someone rummaging around.
The owner said the intent was clear and wants to make sure neighbors are aware.
“Their intention was to actually steal my car,” he said.
“This is a really nice neighborhood," he added. "Anything can happen so don’t leave your doors open. Lock your side doors, back doors, windows.”
Neighbors FOX61 spoke with said a car was stolen on the same street a couple of years ago and others have had bikes stolen as well.
Also, last year, police said there was a carjacking at an apartment complex a mile away.
Neighbors said they want more patrols in their area to keep residents safe.
Elisha Machado is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at emachado@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.