Police investigating spate of overnight vehicle thefts in Bensalem
BENSALEM, Pa. - Authorities in Bucks County are urging drivers not to leave their keys inside unlocked parked car following a series of overnight thefts that investigators believe could be related.
The Bensalem Police Department said the string of thefts happened during the early morning hours of Aug. 17, including two thefts that happened 20 minutes apart.
Officers were called to East Coast Cycle on Bristol Pike around 1:30 a.m. for reports of a robbery in progress after three people were spotted using a UHaul truck to steal ATVs from the business.
Police say the trio of suspects fled on foot when officers arrived at the business, leaving behind the UHaul.
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After an extensive search of the area, police say three juveniles were found and charged with burglary and related offenses.
A short time later, officers responded to a Wawa on Bristol Pike after a driver reported that his vehicle was stolen from the parking lot.
Investigators say the victim's car was unlocked and left running when two males dressed in black entered the vehicle and drove away.
The overnight rash of vehicle thefts also includes two cars that were stolen from homes in Bensalem that happened about 20 minutes apart.
Police say an unlocked car with the keys inside was stolen from in front of a home on Elwood Avenue around 6 a.m.
Another vehicle theft happened a short time outside a home on nearby Bowman Avenue. Police say the car was locked, but the key fob was left inside the vehicle.
Investigators are trying to determine if all the thefts were related as part of an organized crime ring.
As police hunt for the suspects responsible for the vehicle thefts, authorities are urging residents to lock parked cars and take the keys with them.