Woman charged with theft from car as cops launch crackdown

A woman has been charged with stealing a GPS unit from a car on Edgewood Road, a day after Fairfield police launched a public-awareness campaign about vehicle break-ins and thefts in that Stratfield neighborhood.

In the wake of 60 thefts from vehicles reported in town since July 1 -- many of the incidents in the Stratfield and Brooklawn areas -- police on Thursday rolled out their "Ticket Tagging" program to alert residents to take steps against the crime and to encourage them to report suspicious activities. Among the streets they visited was Edgewood Road.

Under the program, officers place fake "tickets" on the windshields of vehicles they find with valuables in plain view as a way to alert the owners to potential theft.

Sara Mariani, 33, of Pacific Street, Bridgeport, was charged early Friday third-degree burglary and sixth-degree larceny after police said she was found in possession of a Garmin GPS unit valued at $150, which was believed to be stolen from a car parked in an Edgewood Road driveway.

She was held on $2,500 bond for an appearance later Friday in Bridgeport Superior Court.

A man believed to be a second suspect in the case left the area on foot and could not be immediately located.

Two mountain bicycles left behind at the scene are being used in the continuing police investigation into the incident.