Full Notification

Wilmington Police officers on proactive patrol arrested two juveniles and recovered a vehicle that had been stolen after its owner left keys in the ignition while the vehicle was unattended.
 
On February 27 at approximately 4:38 p.m., police located a vehicle being driven in the area of 26^th and Pine Streets that had been reported stolen the day before. As the patrol unit circled the block, the vehicle was observed parking and the driver, a 17-year-old male, exited the car and ran. After a short foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident. He has been charged with receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the New Castle County Detention Center on $6,500 unsecured bail.
 
The front-seat passenger of the vehicle, a 16-year-old male, fled on foot and was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit. He has been charged with receiving stolen property and resisting arrest. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11 and turned over to a parent on $2,000 unsecured bail.
 
The Wilmington Police Department continues to remind the public not to leave keys in the ignition of a vehicle while it is unattended, and to be mindful of any spare or valet keys that might be left in an unsecured vehicle. Since late January, the department has been reporting a trend in which the vast majority of vehicles – nearly 73 percent in the past four weeks – stolen in Wilmington had keys in the ignition at the time of the theft.