MANSFIELD, Mass. (WPRI) — Six teenagers, all boys from Rhode Island, went on an hours-long crime spree in a Mansfield neighborhood early Monday morning, according to authorities.
Officers first responded to Church Street just before 3:30 a.m. following reports of someone attempting to break into several cars. Police said the suspect successfully broke into one of them.
While responding to Church Street, police said the officers noticed several teenagers running near Brook Street.
That’s when the officers requested backup from the Massachusetts State Police K-9 Unit and the Foxboro Police Department. Police said that, over the next hour, officers blocked off the neighborhood in an attempt to catch the suspects.
Officers tracked the teenagers as they fled through several backyards and into the woods between Samoset, Church, and Cottage streets.
It was during that time that the officers responded to Brook and Cottage Streets, where a stolen vehicle was found abandoned.
Police said around 4:45 a.m., an officer stopped a vehicle with four teenagers inside, all of whom were wearing wet and muddy clothing. The four teenagers were then taken into custody.
More than an hour later, police began receiving reports from other victims in the neighborhood as they woke to find their vehicles had been broken into. Residents’ belongings were also found strewn throughout the neighborhood, according to police.
Police said around 7 a.m. a caller reported that someone had tried to break into their vehicle before running off toward Hope Street.
The officers, still on patrol throughout the neighborhood, later spotted two more suspects running through backyards on Glen Street. Both were taken into custody on Willis Street.
Police said so far, cars have either been broken into or stolen from residences on six different roads, including Cottage Street, Church Street, Samoset Avenue, Hillside Terrace, Glen Street, and Hope Street.
The juvenile suspects, who have not been identified, are facing a variety of charges, including breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, malicious damage to a motor vehicle, larceny of a motor vehicle, conspiracy, unlicensed operation, and receiving stolen property.
“A night like this is a sobering reminder of the importance of locking vehicles left outside overnight, removing or hiding valuable items, and ensuring driveways are adequately lit,” Mansfield Police Chief Ronald Sellon Jr. said.
Investigators believe there are likely additional victims in the neighborhood. Anyone parked in the neighborhood Sunday night into Monday morning who believes their car was broken into is urged to contact the Mansfield Police Department by calling (508) 261-7300.
Images of potential damage to vehicles can be sent directly to Mansfield Detective Anthony Lattanzio at alattanzio@mansfieldma.com.