Just before 4 p.m. today Westport Police responded to the Exxon gas station on Post Road East between the Connecticut Humane Society and Fire Department headquarters, for an initial report of a carjacking.
Officers determined a carjacking had not occurred. But a car was stolen, and the complainant sustained minor injuries trying to prevent the theft.
The victim was pumping gas on the passenger side of their black 2022 Mercedes Benz GLS. A young male got out of a nearby car, and got into the Mercedes.
The complainant tried to open the driver’s door. When the suspect drove away, the victim fell.
The vehicle was last seen headed north on Compo Road North. Anyone with information on the incident should call Westport Police: (203)341-6000.
Awful. Can you tell us, was the car running and unlocked?
Hi Diane, see the Westport Journal story. As usual, much more detail.
I was in town last Thursday and Friday and got some gas there. I also drove by Roosevelt Road’s ridiculous pile of lumber and was shocked!
Oops Roseville Road
Always be aware of your surroundings. The last few car thefts/carjackings were following their victims waiting for them to drop their guard. In one instance, a victim pulled up to someone’s house to quickly run in.
Another victim has just arrived home and they ran down the driveway got in and took off.
To them, it’s a game.
New slogan to residents, “Where’s your FOB?”
If you are gonna leave your car running, at least keep your key fob in your pocket while you pump gas, so a thief can’t drive away with your car.
kris, are you sure about this? On our cars, if the car is running, you can put it into gear and drive all day, or until you run out of gas, whether or not you have the key fob with you. You just can’t turn it off and then back on without the key fob. Is that setting different on some cars? The only exception I’ve seen is if you use remote start. When you get gas, the safe course is to turn off your car, take your key (and wallet and phone), and lock your car. If your car requires you to unlock the car to open the gas tank cover, then do that, and then lock the car while you get gas.
Just curious how this is not a car jacking?
That is what occurs when someone is in the car. Say, you are driving and a person jumps in another door and tells you to drive. That’s a carjacking.
This was a car theft.
Actually that is a kidnapping…
I havent read the text of the law but my personal opinion is if a car is in the immediate care custody and control that is a carjacking. the owner was right there, in possession of the vehicle, not like they walked away and were inside the gas station. if our laws need to be updated, they should. what happened is as serious as a carjacking lets not downplay it. that said, do not leave FOBs in the vehicle, do not leave vehicles running (bad idea while pumping gas anyway), and lock the doors while pumping!
A friend arrived home after work and picking up dinner for her family, went to her mailbox to bring in mail (with her purse and dinner on her arm).
She had been followed home by a criminal couple.
When she approached her mailbox, they quickly drove up to grab her purse.
It got tangled, she fought. She fell and the criminal vehicle ran over her head.
Killed instantly, family and friends devastated.
This was 10-12 years ago,
Sat through murder trial a few years ago.
The guy never intended muder, he was JUST an habitual offender robber.
Habitual robber? And he wasn’t in prison because———?
I’m with Jill Odice on this one. How is this not a car jacking? Does the victim have to be shot or dragged down the Post Rd.?
It’s not a carjacking if the victim is not in the car.
It is still a crime, just a different crime.
I’m pretty sure that the statute mentions violence or the threat of violence. From what I read I think this is the case here.
The keys HAD TO HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE IGNITION!!!!!! How else could the car have been jacked!!!!!?????
So much discussion as to whether this was a “car-jacking” or a “car theft”. Does it really matter? A crime was committed either way. We’re being asked to call the Westport police with any information, but the police have already supplied a report of the description of the suspect. It just isn’t mentioned in this article for or some reason. Google it, or read the Westport Journal report, it’s the same info, but contains the suspect’s description.
However, you should always turn off your engine (and preferably take your keys/fob with you) when pumping gas. Period. Google that too.
Steve, most news organizations rightly will not include vague descriptions of suspects of crime, if they’re not sufficient to help catch a person. “Black male” or “white female” don’t cut it. These vague descriptions don’t result in solving crimes, but do further bigotry and stereotypes, casting suspicion on large groups of people. Detailed descriptions of clothing, hairstyle, tattoos, etc., make a description meaningful. (These newsroom policies were developed after recognition of the many decades of vague descriptions. I recall the Maryland State Police trooper whose written description of his reason for a vehicle search on I-95, after a court had ordered documenting every search because of evidence of patterns of racial profiling, wrote on the form that was sent to the court: “Black man driving Mercedes.” Other searches were conducted for having Grateful Dead stickers on a car.) Not every newsroom decision on suspect descriptions is clear cut — it’s a judgment call, and in this car theft in Westport there is the additional information about the car, a black 2022 Mercedes Benz GLS. Details from any video at the gas station might give enough to include a description of the suspect.
Nonsense, Bill. “White male,” Black male” narrows the population to be searched by huge percentage points.
If you really want to be told that the perpetrator was a “black male,” hours later, with no other detail that would help the right person be questioned, you have to ask yourself why that piece of information is so important to you.
Basic descriptors of a suspect immediately after a crime are used all the time. Particularly important for responding officers. They tend to exclude large segments of the population. In this case “black male in a black MB” etc….
I had always heard that you’re supposed to turn off your engine when pumping gas to reduce the risk of fire.
I can’t imagine why you’d ever leave it running.
Yes, in Connecticut there is a statute that says you must turn off your car when filling up with gas.
You tolerate crime, you get more crime.
Yep, and now we have a convicted criminal who violently assaulted police officers being released back to Westport because he was pardoned by prez DJT who encouraged him. https://patch.com/connecticut/westport/westport-man-22-pleads-guilty-jan-6-u-s-capitol-breach-feds I hope Benjamin knows that people who violently assault police officers are not welcome in Westport. https://patch.com/connecticut/fairfield/s/j4637/11-jan-6-defendants-from-ct-pardoned-in-trump-s-first-official-act?utm_source=local-update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alert
imagine a coach who spoke as lewd as the man you are referring to.
As a latecomer to this post, I considered not leaving a comment. However, the bolder side of me, less vulnerable to slap-back comments, won out.
Who cares what we call this unspeakable event? It’s a CRIME.
What more do we need to know?
As the police officer interviewed was quoted as saying, the description of the suspect was limited to the observation that it was a black male. Can we all adjust our racist detectors to a lower setting?
Next, nowhere have I read in any reported accounts that the car was left running,
Also, some vehicles—like mine—can be opened and started as long as the fob and I are nearby.
Last, if the knee-jerk reactions to make offensive comments about the blog host and the victim are triggered by misdirected anger about the crime, I’ll do my best to write them off as coming from a temporary lapse in impulse control.
Otherwise, can we all be more conscious of the feelings of others when weaponizing our words?
Or must we collect enough money to support Dan’s installation of a de-snide filter to prevent harm to unwitting targets of mean-spirited remarks?
I’m done now. Come and get me.
The Westport PD Report.
Please describe what happened to your car today.
From the victim:
Officer ,,,the possibly human entity that stole my not black not white not green or yellow not Mercedes or Audi or BMW etc was not black not white not Asian not tall not short not male not female not young or not old .
I hope this helps narrow down the search officer .
But ….
No one cares about who did it just get me my damn car back please .
Thank you officer.
Save the outrage for someone other than the messenger.