Barrington police believe there may be a connection between a series of larcenies, and an SUV that was stolen in town last week. Police also believe the crimes may be evidence of gang activity that has spilled into Barrington.

More than a dozen vehicles were entered into early Tuesday morning, June 30, and dozens of items were stolen. A laptop computer, sunglasses, air pod headphones, loose change, wallets, credit cards, a leather briefcase and other items were reported stolen from cars by residents on Pleasant Street, Foote Street, South Street, Alfred Drowne Road, Centennial Avenue, Third Street, Beaver Road and Jesse Davis Lane.

And on Sunday morning, July 5, a Hampden Street resident called police at 9:50 a.m. to report that someone had stolen a 2013 Toyota Highlander from the driveway overnight. Just an hour earlier, a Tyler Point Road resident called police to report a stolen dirt bike — the resident said the dirt bike went missing during the overnight hours.

Barrington Police Chief Dino DeCrescenzo said a gang out of Connecticut may be responsible for the crimes. He said the department received a notice recently warning police of similar crimes that had been reported in communities across Rhode Island and Massachusetts that had been tied to the gang.

"They've been hitting everywhere," he said.

On Tuesday morning, a Pleasant Street resident told police that she witnessed one of the larcenies from motor vehicles on her street. The woman said the incident occurred between 2 and 2:30 a.m. She saw three men — she described them as wearing face masks and having "slight builds" — entering her neighbor's cars. She said she was planning to put on her exterior house lights if the men approached her property, but they did not, and the woman did not contact police until hours after the event.

Chief DeCrescenzo is asking residents to call police immediately if they see any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.

Police said there were no witnesses to the larceny of the SUV and dirt bike, but a resident's surveillance camera captured footage of four to five men walking along Hampden Street checking out vehicles. Officials are still reviewing the video.

Police believe the men stole the Toyota Highlander from Hampden Street and then drove it to Tyler Point Road where they loaded the stolen dirt bike into the back of the SUV. Police said the owner of the Highlander does not believe a key was left in the vehicle; that resident still had the key to the vehicle and the spare key as well. The resident was not sure if the vehicle had been left unlocked.

Police said a credit card stolen from a Jesse Davis Lane resident's vehicle was used at a Swansea, Mass. gas station at 3:38 a.m. on July 5.

Anyone with information about the crimes or with video footage from the neighborhoods involved should contact police at 401-437-3930.

Please support your local news coverage

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the local economy - and many of the advertisers who support our work - to a near standstill. During this unprecedented challenge, we continue to make our coronavirus coverage free to everyone at eastbayri.com - we believe it is our mission is to deliver vital information to our communities. If you believe local news is essential, especially during this crisis, please consider a tax-deductible donation. 

Donate Here

Thank you for your support!

Matt Hayes, Barrington Times Publisher