Thanks to an alert witness, West Hartford Police quickly apprehended two men and charged them with stealing packages from several homes.

By Ronni Newton

Two Hartford men were quickly located and charged by West Hartford Police Thursday, thanks in part to an alert witness who quickly alerted police and provided key information.

According to police, a resident witnessed a suspect leaving the scene of a package theft on Beverly Road in West Hartford in a Pontiac Grand Am with a broken brake light and tinted plate cover. The witness told police that the car headed toward Boulevard.

Police headed to the area, and said that Off. Brandon Dudzinski spotted a vehicle matching the description traveling into Hartford.

The vehicle was stopped by police at Capitol Avenue and Rowe Avenue in Hartford.

According to police, several packages were located in the vehicle, and they determined that the occupants of the vehicle were involved in the theft.

Police said that packages stolen from four different victims were located in the vehicle. The packages had been taken from residents in the Beverly Road and Lexington Road area of West Hartford, police said.

Police arrested the two occupants of the vehicle.

Jose Cosme-Matos, 22, of Capitol Avenue in Hartford was charged with sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny, and four counts of simple trespass.

Capt. Michael Perruccio said that Cosme-Matos is being held on $10,000 surety bond and due in court Friday.

Acording to court records, Cosme-Matos was also charged with sixth-degree larceny in a July incident.

Jose Luis Navedo Jr., 50, of Rowe Avenue in Hartford was charged with sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, misuse of registration, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

Perruccio said he was released Thursday on $5,000 non-surety bond.

A West Hartford Police officer returned the packages to those from whom they were stolen, Perruccio said.

Police said it has not been determined whether or not these two suspects were involved with package thefts that occurred this week on Cumberland Road and Edmund Place in West Hartford, Perruccio said.

Perruccio said  that this case was a “great example of a citizen witness seeing something, and saying something.”

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