Rocky Hill Police are still searching for a group of young men who officers say tried stealing a car in front of someone’s home Monday evening.
The victim was caught on camera fighting back at the would-be burglars.
A homeowner appears to struggle with a young man who police say was trying to steal the red car in his driveway. Authorities say the happened Monday just after 7 p.m. on Valley View Drive.
“It’s so close to home. It’s really frustrating,” a neighbor said.
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A group of people then appear to assault the homeowner after running out of a black Mercedes sedan.
Eventually, the group of young men run back into the black sedan and get away, with all of them wearing masks to conceal their identities. Police say the homeowner's intervening could have had serious consequences.
“Thank God that he wasn’t seriously hurt. We’re seeing a lot of these incidents throughout the state and the country that people are intervening, and the suspect may have a weapon,” Rocky Hill Police Sgt. Jeffrey Foss-Rugan said.
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While nothing was taken in this case, police are asking homeowners to not approach burglars and call 911 immediately, especially if they have home surveillance.
“We have a lot of tools at our disposal that we could try to follow up to try to locate these suspects and I know it’s very difficult when you see people break into your cars,” Foss-Rugan said.
Lisa, who lives nearby and didn’t want to show her face, says she’s had issues with theft herself.
“In the past, we’ve had our car broken into in our driveway several times, that is just such a violation,” she said.
Police say extra patrols are being deployed in the area and homeowners should take preventative measures.
“We’ve got to keep our garages locked. We have to keep the doors locked. We have to keep the valuables out of the car,” Foss-Rugan said.
The homeowner in the video did go to the hospital with minor injuries but is OK. NBC Connecticut reached out to him, but he didn't want to talk at this time.
Anyone with information about who these people are is being asked to contact Rocky Hill Police.
