Fairfield, CT - While Emergency Crews Battled a Fire - Marked Police Car with Emergency Flashing Lights was Stolen - Found in Westport
Police burned: Cruiser stolen during fire
Article Last Updated: 01/05/2008 12:30:32 AM EST
FAIRFIELD — While emergency crews battled the inferno engulfing the westbound
terminal of the Southport Railroad Station early Friday, an unoccupied police
car was stolen from the scene.
Police are now investigating if the theft of the cruiser — recovered a time
later in Westport — is related to the fire.
Police Lt. Michael Walsh said the marked police car was parked, with
emergency lights flashing, at the Center Street entrance to the train station to
prevent anyone from driving onto the property while the depot was burning. The
keys were in the cruiser, Walsh said.
"Whether there's any connection between the fire and the loss of the car is
under investigation," Walsh said.
Detectives on Friday were trying to determine if the theft was recorded by
security cameras or seen by witnesses, Walsh said.
Detectives are also trying to find the man who hailed a Westport taxi near the
site where the police car was abandoned and was driven back to Southport early
Friday.
A night dispatcher at Westport Star Taxi said a driver picked someone up at the
Sherwood Diner, 901 Post Road East, and drove him to the corner of Center Street
and the Post Road about 1 a.m.
Friday."There's a restaurant there and apartments above it," the dispatcher
said, referring to the S&S Dugout. "He may have lived there, they're like
rooming apartments."
The dispatcher, who would not give his name, said he didn't know the name of the
taxi's passenger