WESTPORT–The would-be thief slipped into a parked car outside a Post Road business on the east side of Westport on a recent Saturday morning. He apparently intended to drive off in the vehicle. He didn’t expect to find a teenager in the rear seat.

A teenager who screamed.

The startled interloper hopped out of the vehicle and into the passenger seat of one he’d just gotten out of, which drove off.

While a theft was averted in that December incident, it was a sign of a phenomenon becoming more common in Westport. Car thefts remain a problem, with about 60 reports each year, at least triple the pre-pandemic rate. More worrisome, the thieves have become braver and now are active in daylight as well as in the dark.

Situational awareness

“We strongly urge our residents and visitors to please be mindful of what continues to be an escalating crime trend,” the Westport Police Department said in an announcement this week. “Simple tactics like locking parked vehicles, removing keys and fobs from the passenger compartment when a vehicle is to be left unattended and locking garages all continue to be strong deterrents to the commission of these crimes, however situational awareness is now becoming equally critical.”

Car owners have found suspects in their driveways and even their garages, according to Lt. Anthony Prezioso, spokesman for the Westport Police Department. Vehicles have been stolen after motorists apparently were followed home from work or the grocery store, or to gas stations or shops, where they leave the keys in the car. Sometimes they leave the car running.

The department urges all to “be mindful of their surroundings and to maintain a heightened state of vigilance,” the announcement says. “If you observe suspicious activity or feel that you are being followed, contact 9-1-1 and/or drive to the nearest police station immediately.”

Never leave the car unlocked “for even brief periods of time,” the announcement says. “In recent cases, a matter of seconds is all that has been needed to execute these thefts.”

Many thefts are not made public

Prezioso said the department has arrested “numerous” car theft suspects, but many are not publicized because they involve juvenile offenders. 

Lauren Fabrizi, a spokesperson for AAA Northeast, offered several other tips to avoid being victimized by theft, including steering wheel locks and other theft prevention devices. (Full list below.)

“Vehicle thefts have been far too common in recent years,” she said. “But by putting the proper protections in place, thieves are less likely to take off with your car or valuable items inside.”

Not just Westport

Westport has not been the only target. One theft in New Canaan went viral last February when a Range Rover was stolen on Main Street with a French bulldog named Poppy inside. The dog was recovered after a search, public appeals and a reward offering, but the SUV remains missing, according to news reports.

Fabrizi recommended reporting a stolen vehicle immediately, citing National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) statistics showing that notifying police of the theft within the first 24 hours increases the chances of recovering the vehicle by 34%.

Westport saw a spike during the COVID pandemic, peaking with 91 thefts reported in 2021, Prezioso said. Since then, it has declined but remains consistent at about 60 annually. Before COVID, the department received 15 to 20 reports per year, he said.

Nationwide, thefts are down

Nationally, the peak came later, breaking a million car thefts in 2022 and reaching a high of 1,020,719 the next year, according to the NICB. In 2024, thefts nationwide dropped 17% to 850,708.

But the numbers don’t tell the whole story, Prezioso said, noting that “there have been countless other unsuccessful or foiled attempts, suspicious incidents involving persons likely to have been prospective car thieves, unreported incidents” and more.

Also, some thefts may be recorded by police in other communities – often in another state – where a car is recovered, he said.

In Westport, the vast majority of thefts, if not all of them, are of high-end luxury cars, which may mean the town’s affluence makes it a target, Prezioso said

Thieves are bolder, but not confrontational

Even with the increase in confrontations, injuries are rare, he said, recalling just one incident early in 2025, when an owner suffered minor injuries. 

“Despite suspects becoming increasingly bold in their tactics and approach to perpetrating these crimes,” he said, “it is still safe to say that they are mostly looking to avoid direct confrontations whenever possible.”

AAA Northeast offers the following tips to drivers to prevent car theft:

• Roll up your windows and lock your car when parked.
• Remove the keys and any valuables.
• Store key fobs as far away from your car as possible and consider putting them in a metal container to prevent a signal boosting attack.
• Park in well-lit areas and/or areas visible to you or protected by security cameras.
• Never leave your car running unattended.

If your car isn’t equipped with an anti-theft system, consider purchasing security devices for further protection, including:

• Vehicle immobilizers
• Steering wheel locks
• Brake pedal locks
• Theft deterrent decals
• Audible alarms
• GPS trackers