Laconia police track stolen paper delivery car to Connecticut — where alleged thief stole another newspaper delivery vehicle  

A delivery vehicle containing approximately 2,000 copies of the Thursday edition of The Laconia Daily Sun was stolen from its drivers in the first hour of Thursday morning. The car made it as far as Fairfield, Connecticut, where police say the thief ditched it and stole yet another car — which also happened to be delivering local newspapers. The second car was recovered in New Jersey around 9 a.m., according to Fairfield police. 

The Sun delivery driver called Laconia Police just before 1 a.m. to report their vehicle stolen from the Union Avenue Circle K, according to Chief Matt Canfield. An officer spotted the car driving down Court Street headed toward Belmont and initiated a pursuit, but the chase was cut short when it reached speeds police determined were a threat to public safety.

The owners of the car worked with Laconia Police to track their vehicle, a 2016 Toyota RAV 4, through the Toyota app using the car’s GPS. At a gas station in Fairfield, the thief abandoned the car and hijacked a second one, according to Fairfield Det. George Buckmir. LPD reached Fairfield police about the stolen car at 4:42 a.m.

The first car stolen was “stacked to the roof” with copies of The Daily Sun, Buckmir said. In a bizarre coincidence, the second car stolen was also a delivery vehicle for a local newspaper, which the driver had left running while using the restroom at a gas station. That vehicle was recovered in New Jersey around 9 a.m, Buckmir said, and New Jersey State Police took the suspect into custody. Police have not yet released the name of the suspect but, according to Canfield, charges are expected in both New Hampshire and Connecticut.

The theft meant Daily Sun distribution boxes were empty Thursday morning. The Daily Sun is printed at the facilities of The Concord Monitor, and Monitor staff worked Thursday to get new copies distributed throughout the Lakes Region. The delivery driver could not be reached for comment Thursday.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org. 

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