Vehicles break-ins on rise in Marlborough, Sudbury. What police suggest as prevention

Police departments throughout MetroWest have a familiar message for residents to help cut down on the latest rash of vehicle break-ins: Lock your car doors.

Marlborough and Sudbury are the latest communties to experience a series of unauthorized entries into vehicles. And in nearly every case, the affected vehicle's doors were left unlocked.

"I always tell residents to take the time to lock their homes and vehicles, particularly at night," said Hudson Police Chief Richard DiPersio. "They can easily fall victim to something that is preventable. Most times would-be thieves target vehicles that are unlocked."

On either Jan. 28 or early on Jan. 29, someone or a group of people broke into "dozens" of cars in Marlborough. Police then put out an alert to residents to tell them to lock their car doors.

'Crimes of opportunity': Marlborough police say items taken from several unlocked vehicles

Then, at 1:04 a.m. this past Sunday, a Marlborough police sergeant on patrol saw someone rifling through a car on Curtis Avenue, Detective Sgt. Scott DeCiero said. When the sergeant went to investigate, the suspect ran off. Police, despite deploying a search dog, searched the area but could not find a suspect.

"Sadly, people are still keeping their doors unlocked," said DeCiero. "They (criminals) don't want to smash windows because it draws attention. They're just looking for something quick and easy."

Sudbury police report more than 20 vehicles were targeted in one night

Sudbury police also said there have been a large number of car breaks in town. Early on Feb. 18, or late the night before, more than 20 vehicles were broken into in the Pine Lakes neighborhood. Those vehicles were also unlocked.

"Sudbury is great community, which often lulls residents into a false sense of security; hence, some do not feel the need to lock their vehicles and sometimes their houses," police said in a press release. "We implore all residents to always secure your vehicles, as well as your house."

'Could be the same person': After rash of car break-ins, Framingham police release videos

Locking car doors is important, but making sure valuables aren't visible is also a must so criminals aren't enticed to break a window even if the car is locked, Framingham Police spokeswoman Lt. Rachel Mickens said.

"Don't leave anything valuable in a visible location, because it'll attract attention," she said, adding that parking in well-lit areas and to making sure any car alarms are activated are also advisable.

Police say keep key fobs away from vehicles, report even minor losses

Along with hiding valuables, people should make sure their key fobs are as far away from their vehicles as possible, Southborough Police Chief Ryan Newell said.

"Any key fobs should be kept in the house and far away from the vehicle, as these car thieves carry booster devices that can use the key fob signal to unlock doors — even if the key fob is in the house," he said.

Also important is to report when a car is broken into, even if nothing is stolen, said Milford Detective Sgt. Kevin O'Loughlin.

He said police can use that information to track when and where break-ins are happening, then determine if there is a spike.

"There's a lot of underreporting," said O'Loughlin. "People who have change stolen don't think it's a big deal and they don't report it. We'd rather have it reported. Even if it seems minor, it's worth calling and, at a minimum, we'll take the information and be able to track it if there are other break-ins."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Car break-in surge happens in Marlborough, Sudbury. Tips to prevent it