New Haven police said they are searching for a duo who committed a series of thefts this week, and a suspect who carjacked an Uber Eats delivery driver early Saturday.
Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut MediaNEW HAVEN — Police say they are investigating a duo who ransacked a number of Westville businesses this week, and another suspect who carjacked a food delivery driver at gunpoint early Saturday, abandoning the vehicle hours later in a different town.
New Haven police said they responded to Edwards Street at 3:15 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report of an Uber Eats delivery driver who said her car had been stolen at gunpoint.
According to police, the 48-year-old woman told an officer that she pulled over to make a delivery, and a light-skinned, black male wearing a black ski mask walked up to her from Orange Street and threatened to shoot her if she didn't hand over her keys. The suspect wore all black clothing and looked to be around 16 years old, police said.
The robber grabbed the woman's keys and took off in her black Mazda 2, police said. The woman's leather purse, credit cards and house keys were also in the Mazda when it was stolen, they added.
Around 11 a.m. Saturday, the Hamden Police Department reported finding the car on Mather Street in that town, and the vehicle was towed back to New Haven for forensic processing, according to police.
Police said they are also investigating a man and woman who they believe terrorized six Westville businesses this week, stealing hundreds of dollars in cash and merchandise.
The string of burglaries began Jan. 24 when a man walked into Clemente's Pizza and stole a cash register holding about $400 off the counter, according to police. A day later, a Walgreens manager reported that a man and woman stole a cash box from behind the register, police said, adding that the cash box, while empty, was worth around $600.
On Jan. 26 around 6:40 p.m., another cash register was stolen from Amity Beauty, police said. But this time, male suspect didn't escape so smoothly.
During the theft, the man fell outside the store, dropping the register, police said. The shop owner then attempted to recover the register and stop the thief.
"A tug-of-war of the cash register ensued," police said in a news release. "The shop owner prevailed, but the thief got away."
About three hours after losing the tug-of-war with the shop owner, the man and his female accomplice struck again at the Racquet Koop and The Westville General Store, police said.
According to police, a large rock was used to smash a rear side window at the tennis equipment store, but nothing was stolen because workers had locked up all cash and the register prior to closing. At the Westville General Store, thieves broke a front door and stole five carry bags, each worth around $100, police said.
The latest incident in the crime spree came on Jan. 27 at T-Nail shop, where the woman "held the door for her male counterpart as he entered the business and stole the cash register," police said.
Police described the man as white or Hispanic, around 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, in his late 20s to early 30s, with a thin build and a moustache. The female burglar, they said, is also white or Hispanic, around 5 feet 4 inches, with a thin build and dark, shoulder-length hair. Police said they believe the couple might be staying at hotels in the area.
Police asked anyone with information on these cases to call police at 203-946-6304 or use the department’s anonymous tip-line at 866-888-8477.
austin.mirmina@hearstmediact.com
