On Sunday around 3:00am Greenwich Police responded to a report of a residence having lost power on Buena Vista Drive that was described as suspicious.
Upon arrival police were advised by the homeowner that three men were spotted entering the property and were recorded by a surveillance system, but nothing was disturbed.
Police say several stolen vehicle complaints have been made by the residents in this section of Glenville.
Typically, the suspects enter a property and steal vehicles in the driveway if they are unlocked with keys within.
At about 3:45am, while patrolling Glenville Rd Greenwich Police officer Jeffrey Franco spotted a silver Audi wagon traveling on the roadway occupied by the three individuals who matched the suspected trespassers on Buena Vista.
Officer Franco conducted a motor vehicle stop on Brookside Drive near Grove Ln.
The driver was identified as Erickson Chojoj-Oklaj, 19, of Boyton Street in Norwalk. The front passenger was Fernando Arce, 18, of S Main St in Norwalk. The passenger in the back seat was identified as Angel Buceta, 18, of Meadow Street in Norwalk.
Initially the driver, Mr. Chojoj-Oklaf said he didn’t know his own name. Officer Franco observed a large folding knife in the center console cup holder while the driver continued to claim he did not know his name.
Investigation revealed none of the three men had valid driver’s licenses, and that the Audi was stolen out of a driveway on Riversville Rd.
The keys had been left in the unlocked car.
Also located in the vehicle or on the occupants’ person were burglary tools, the knife and a blade larger than the legal limit, and controlled substances.
Police say when patted down, Mr. Arce and Mr. Buceta both had in their possession cutting instruments in their waistbands.
The men were also linked to entering an unlocked vehicle on Linden Place and stealing items and leaving a Volvo in the middle of the road on Porchuck Rd. The Volvo had been stolen from Norwalk.
The men were charged with Conspiracy (4 counts), Larceny 6, Larceny 1 (2 counts), Simple Trespass, Possession of Burglar Tools, Burglary 3, Illegal Possession of a Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance greater than 1/2 Oz Cannabis and Failure to Keep Narcotics in Original Container.
The three suspects were each assigned $50,000 bond, which they were unable to post.
The men were assigned a date in Bridgeport Superior Court on May 11, 2020.
Greenwich Police Lt Mark Zuccerella said all three suspects are being investigated for other incidents in Greenwich the night they were arrested including a larceny from an unlocked motor vehicle on Greenway Drive, an unlocked Dodge Caravan from Memory Lane with keys within (that was abandoned on Memory Lane), and the stolen Volvo from Norwalk. They are also under investigation for the the stolen Audi wagon.
“We know they were responsible for the theft of an unlocked car on Greenway Drive,” Zuccerella said. “Property from Greenway Drive was found in the stolen car out of Norwalk on Porchuck Rd.”
“Officer Jeffrey Franco did an outstanding job in locating the subjects in the stolen car,” Zuccerella siad. “He took the information from the previous suspicious person call and put himself in the right place to see if he can locate them. He and the other officers on the Midnight shift have been diligent in their efforts to help disrupt prevent, and apprehend the subjects responsible for car thefts in Greenwich.”