HAMDEN, Conn. (WTNH) – Food delivery drivers in Hamden have been targeted by thieves on Wednesday and Thursday. Police are investigating two incidents; one resulted in a robbery.
Police are looking for teenagers. They believe the same small group of them is responsible for both crimes.
Volkan Turan’s father owns Legend Pizza in Hamden. One of the business’s drivers was delivering food on Fourth Street on Wednesday night at about 8:30. A teenage girl distracted him and then a group of four teenage boys surrounded him. One of them had a knife. They took some money and two cell phones.
“The driver’s physically not hurt but he’s not feeling good at all psychologically,” said Turan.
The attempted robbery happened on North Street, just a few blocks away from Fourth Street, in a neighborhood off Dixwell Avenue near New Haven.
A driver delivering food from China Wok in Hamden was on Fourth Street shortly after 9 on Thursday night. A neighbor warned him to get out of the area, so he did. The neighbor knew about the robbery the previous night and had seen a group of “four suspicious males” walking around in the area.
“When he stopped at a stop sign on Warren Street, three of the individuals tried to forcibly enter his car,” said Captain Ronald Smith of the Hamden Police Department.
The driver was able to get away. Police are now checking the area to see if there is any surveillance video of the crimes. They say crimes like these are not unusual, and they tend to see them in spurts.
“It’s a very dangerous job delivering food,” said Smith. “We’ve seen quite a few thefts over the years, robberies.”
That’s why businesses like Legend Pizza are urging their drivers to be careful.
“I always recommend they stay in the car until the customer shows up,” said Turan. “Just be careful and open your eyes, check around.”
Police have not yet made any arrests. They are asking anyone with any information to call them at 203-230-4040.
