SAUGUS — Several car break-ins occurred on Saturday and Sunday throughout the town, with Saugus Police officers receiving multiple reports throughout the two days.
Saturday was the calmer of the two days, with a report occurring at 3:18 a.m. on Lincoln Avenue. According to the report, the vehicle’s owner spotted a man looking into his car. Officers eventually located the rummaged-through vehicle, and it appeared as though the suspect had fled on foot, leaving a bicycle. There were other vehicles involved as well.
Another Saturday report came at 11:05 a.m. on Lincoln Court, where a caller reported that his 2023 gray Chrysler 300 was broken into overnight. Police reported that the incident appeared to be connected to the incident from earlier that morning.
The issue worsened as Sunday racked up more break-ins. One caller reported a man who seemed to be breaking into vehicles on Spencer Avenue, Harvard Avenue, and Houston Avenue at 4:06 a.m. The man was located, but police saw no reports of break-ins at the time. An area check for open cars and related video was unproductive.
The first reported break-in of Sunday was at 7:51 a.m. on Herbert Avenue, where a caller stated his wallet had been taken from his work truck, and his credit cards were actively being used. The next event was at 10:19 a.m. on Houston Avenue, where a man reported four vehicles being broken into overnight. Another call occurred at 10:59 a.m. on Broadway and 2:03 p.m. on Milton Street. The Milton Street call involved two Toyota’s being broken into on the property.
The final reports came in at 2:34 p.m. on Harvard Avenue and 4:46 p.m. on Herbert Avenue.
Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli said car break-ins have been a constant in the area for the past 10 years.
“It definitely comes and goes in spurts. A lot of the times it’s one group, and typically what they’re doing is just targeting the unlocked cars, pulling on door handles, grabbing spare change, sunglasses, things people leave in their cars,” Ricciardelli said.
He continued that the groups aren’t really breaking windows to get into the vehicles.
“It comes and goes. We’ve made arrests in the past, and then it’s slowed down,” he said. “Other communities have made arrests, which (also) slow things down. I don’t think it’s one group. It’s several different groups.”
Ricciardelli explained that sometimes these groups will hit Saugus, and other times they’ll go into the surrounding communities instead.
“You will see that spike in a certain neighborhood from time to time. We like to tell residents to be vigilant about locking their cars,” he said. “Also, our officers on overnight shifts try to be vigilant. Seeing suspicious people walking through neighborhoods in the middle of the night tends to be when it happens.”
