Police: Juveniles face multiple charges after stealing car in East Haven, crashing near Connecticut Sportsplex

Three juveniles face larceny and other charges after stealing a car in East Haven from a home health worker who was checking on a patient on Tuesday, police said.

Officers from the East Haven Police Department responded to an apartment complex at 140 Mill St. at about 12:18 p.m. after a woman reported that her rental car had been stolen from the complex while she was doing a home health visit, according to police.

An officer located the 2016 Chrysler 200 idling in a church parking lot on Foxon Road, noting that the vehicle was occupied by multiple suspects wearing ski masks. The suspects fled the area quickly, heading toward North Branford, police said. The officer did not pursue the suspects.

Shortly thereafter, police learned the stolen vehicle was involved in a single-car crash in the area of 208 Foxon Road in North Branford between the Connecticut Sportsplex entrance and a Gulf gas station, according to police. The suspects abandoned the vehicle and headed into a wooded area, where police began tracking them with the assistance of a K-9.

During the search, officers from North Branford spotted three individuals matching the description of the suspects getting into a vehicle at the dead-end of Branhaven Drive. Police pulled the vehicle over, noting that it was being driven by an elderly family member of the suspects who was unaware of the car theft, East Haven police said.

The juveniles were taken into custody and each charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit larceny of a motor vehicle, second-degree criminal trover, reckless driving and interfering with an officer. They were subsequently released to their guardians and were scheduled to appear in the New Haven Superior Court for Juvenile Matters on Wednesday.