Thefts of loose change and electronics from cars are always a concern for police working late-night shifts around Bethesda neighborhoods.
But a pair of thefts overnight Thursday in the Wyngate neighborhood apparently required a lot more heavy lifting.
Police are investigating the theft of two sets of porch furniture from two homes in the 9500 block of Lindale Drive, 2nd District Commander Capt. David Falcinelli confirmed on Friday. Falcinelli said the furniture stolen was large enough that it likely required multiple thieves to lift the items and a large enough vehicle to stash the items away.
“The unusual thing about it is the fact that the furniture probably required two things: Two people to move it, at least some of the items, and a large enough vehicle,” Falcinelli said. “It was large enough where it would probably need to be taken away by a van or truck.”
The thefts were a popular topic of conversation on a Wyngate neighborhood listserv on Friday. One of the victims said a couch, chairs and a coffee table were all stolen. A nearby resident said he got his bike stolen out of a shed in his backyard and his car broken into within two weeks in August.
A third resident said he thought he heard the sound of his gate being opened early Friday morning and filed a police report.
Falcinelli said there were about 100 thefts from cars in August in the 2nd District — which covers Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, North Bethesda and parts of Kensington and Silver Spring. He again encouraged people to lock their car doors, saying about 85 percent of last month’s thefts from vehicles happened with no forced entry.
Police made two arrests for late-night thieves in August, one in the Kensington area and one near River Road and the D.C. line.
“We normally have success when an alert resident calls us,” Falcinelli said. “Please call us if you see something suspicious in the neighborhood.”
As for the stolen porch furniture, Faclinelli said officers are checking into any sightings of suspicious looking trucks, vans or moving vehicles.
“If people see a suspicious looking van or pickup truck going through the neighborhood late at night, let us know,” Falcinelli said.
