DELMAR — Bethlehem Police are investigating a string of larcenies — including a car theft — that have victimized nearly a dozen residents.
In the past two weeks, Bethlehem Police have received calls of residents reporting thefts of CDs, GPS units and smaller items of value from their cars, said Commander Adam Hornick.
“These incidents have been in the area off of lower Kenwood Avenue, between Elsmere and Delmar bypass, and in the Old Delmar neighborhood, stated Hornick in an email to Spotlight News. “These thefts have all occurred in vehicles that were left unlocked in driveways and on the streets overnight.”
Up until recently, the reports involved only small items, but that escalated when Bethlehem Police received the call of a stolen pickup truck Friday, Jan. 13.
According to Bethlehem Police, a 2016 Dodge Ram truck was stolen Friday between 1 and 8 a.m. while it was left parked on Ridge Road off of Kenwood Avenue in Elsmere. As of this time the vehicle has not been recovered and police are attempting to locate it.
The theft of a vehicle in New York state carries a felony charge punishable by up to four years in prison. The value of a vehicle can increase the severity of the crime. The price of a 2016 Dodge Ram truck is approximately $32,000. For vehicles worth $30,000 a criminal faces third-degree felony larceny that is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Hornick’s reference to “Old Delmar” speaks of a popular residential area where turn of the century homes with rustic charms, award winning schools and lower propensity for crime have made for desirable real estate property. The newly opened Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail has also become a selling point for recent residential development along Delaware Avenue. According to Zillow.com, the median home value in Delmar is $255,000.
“We recommend that people always lock their vehicles overnight and keep all items of value out of sight,” stated Hornick.