Darien Hit by Rash of Motor Vehicle Burglaries

"Lock your car. Every time. Everywhere."

That's the message printed across the rear windshields of Darien police cars, and it's one driven home by a rash of motor burglaries and stolen parts reported across town last week.

Nearly $1,000 in cash were taken from a car in one case, while in another incident an intruder left an unwelcome surprise on the front seat of an SUV.

Notably, in every case in which a car was entered, the vehicle had been left unlocked.

Below is rundown of the incidents as reported by the :

• Leroy-West: Two tires and rims were reported stolen off of a 2009 Range Rover parked at the Leroy-West municipal lot on Monday. According to police, a employee noticed around 3 p.m. that one side of the vehicle had been left propped up by a cement block. When the employee had passed the vehicle that morning, its wheels had been intact. The stolen parts were valued at around $3,000.

• Leroy-West: While investigating the above incident, police noticed that the front passenger window of a 2003 Porsche 911 parked in the next space over was rolled halfway down. Police made contact with the owner, who said that the window was stuck in that position and that he had left the vehicle unlocked for fear that the alarm would be falsely triggered. $15 in cash was found to be missing from the center console.

• Heights Road: Some $970 in cash were reported stolen from a 2011 Ford Explorer parked at Equinox (72 Heights Rd.) on Monday. The owner told police that he had left the vehicle unlocked after retrieving some money from it Monday morning and returned to find the cash missing around 12:20 p.m. He said that he had won the money the day before at a casino.

• Sunset Road: A 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe was reported burglarized on Sunset Road on Tuesday. According to the owner, the vehicle had been left unlocked in a driveway on the evening of July 25 — the same timeframe as . Around the same time, a golf bag and clubs valued at $600 reportedly went missing from the vehicle. The owner did not contact police until later, however, believing that the daughter might have moved the clubs herself.

• Ledge Road: Four tires and rims valued at $4,800 were stolen off of a 2006 BMW 750Li parked at BMW Darien (140 Ledge Rd.) on Wednesday. According to police, an alarm went off around 3:05 a.m. at the dealership, where the vehicle had been left for repairs. A private security service reportedly responded to the call but found nothing unusual at the scene. When an employee arrived at work Wednesday morning, however, he discovered the missing parts and contacted police. The thieves left a spare tire that had been placed on the vehicle and retrieved the fourth rim from the car's unlocked trunk. No additional damage was reported.

• Sunset Road: A BMW 328i was reported burglarized on Thursday on Sunset Road. According to police, the owner realized that an iPod had gone missing from the vehicle around the same time as numerous other burglaries reported on the street. The vehicle had been left unlocked at the time.

• Deepwood Road: Nothing was reported stolen from the vehicle of a Deepwood Road resident, but an unfortunate gift was left inside. According to police, the owner left the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder unlocked in his driveway around 2 p.m. Saturday after retrieving golf clubs from the car. When he returned around 9 a.m. Sunday, he reportedly discovered a "pile of feces" on the front passenger seat.

• Hollow Tree Ridge Road: A purse, wallet, and $60 in cash were reported stolen Sunday from a 2010 Honda Pilot parked on Hollow Tree Ridge. The vehicle had been left unlocked overnight.

• Lighthouse Way: A 1998 Lexus ES 300 was reportedly burglarized while parked on Lighthouse Way. The owner contacted police Sunday morning after realizing that his wallet and $200 in cash were missing from the vehicle. According to the owner, the car had been left unlocked Saturday while he was visiting a residence on Lighthouse Way.