Crime & Safety

Car Window Shattered, Purse Stolen at Farmington Rails to Trails Parking Lot

The owner of the car shares her story in hopes to prevent this from happening to other people and make her concerns about the parking lot safety known.

Plainville resident Pat Mattas found her passenger seat window shattered and her purse stolen when she returned to her car after an evening stroll on the Route 4/179 portion of Rails to Trails in Farmington.

Concerned about the incident, Mattas is raising questions about the safety of the parking lots near bike paths like Rails to Trails.

"People are vulnerable," Mattas said. "What might now be a parking lot robbery could turn into something else. Who knows?”

Farmington police said they have not seen a trend over the past months of the Rails to Trails parking lots in Farmington being targeted. However, from May 1 to July 1, there have been 10 calls about car break-ins in town. Mattas' case was the only reported car burglary reported over the past two months. 

Five out of 10 of the reports were at the Westfarms Mall "and the others were in driveways of residences," Farmington Police Lt. Colin Ryan said.

"It does not appear there is any truth to the Rails to Trails lots being specifically targeted although anywhere that a large number of cars are parked is a potential target area," Ryan said. 

In Mattas' case, she arrived at the Rails to Trails parking lot across from Riverfront Miniature Golf around 5 p.m. She had a conversation with her son about where to store her valuables before placing her purse on the back seat and putting the seat back down to conceal it. Mattas locked the car and went for a walk on the trail with her son until about 7:30 p.m. 

But that did not stop someone from smashing her window to break into the car. The culprit(s) left the metal rod, likely a fence post, used to shatter the window on the ground next to the car. Police seized the pole as part of its investigation, Mattas said.

“I believe that I was watched and I think that’s kind of typical of how it happens," Mattas said. “If someone is in the lots purposely watching that activity they would have seen that interchange.” 

Very few items of value were in the purse besides a small amount of cash and prescription glasses, but Mattas was the most concerned about the house and car keys and personal identification with her address on it that were also taken. She said she spent thousands of dollars getting new glasses and changing her car and house locks. For two days, she was concerned that the people who broke into her car would come to her house.

Ryan said that the most common items stolen from parked cars are "GPS units, cash (loose change), laptops, cell phones and purses." 

"The best thing you can do is secure your items out of plain sight, and don’t do it at the parking lot where a would be thief can watch you put your valuables under a seat or in the trunk," Ryan wrote to Patch in an email. "This is a common mistake by people as most don’t realize they may be being watched while securing their valuables. Believe it or not, the majority of our car break-ins involve unlocked vehicles.  This is especially true in residential driveways so the tip here is always lock your car doors."

Mattas said that she thinks the state "could do a little bit better" with securing the Rails to Trails parking lots so that the public can enjoy the trails. 

"I would like everybody in Connecticut to know, who uses Rails to trails or any bike trails and walking paths, that the parking lots aren’t safe," Mattas said. "There are people who hang out in the parking lots that are watching your activity prior to you going out to the trails."

Mattas said that this applies to trails across the state, not just Farmington.

“We can’t just keep turning a blind eye to it," Mattas said.


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