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Two arrested in thefts from cars in northeastern Mass.

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 20, 2009 06:23 PM

By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

Two people were arrested in Haverhill Monday in connection with a surge of thefts from cars across the northeastern tip of the state, police said.

Police said they found a hoard of stolen items in the suspects’ van, three days after a collaborative police meeting in nearby Salisbury was called to address the 400 thefts from cars in the area in the past three months.

Gary T. Fitzgerald Jr., a 30-year-old homeless New Hampshire man, and Jessica E. Tirone, 26, of Salisbury, were arrested on outstanding warrants at the scene, after police responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle. Police added several other charges following a search of their van, which yielded a heap of stolen electronics.

Haverhill Deputy Police Chief Donald Thompson said he had a 20-page list of stolen goods found in the van, including seven mp3 players, eight GPS devices, nine watches, and 41 gift cards.

Police determined many of the items were stolen from Newburyport, Salisbury, Seabrook, N.H., and Hampton, N.H., Thompson said. Several victims have been contacted.

“We’ve been able to plug in ‘Home’ on the GPS units,” Thompson said. “We’re in the process of matching them all up.”

Police believe the suspects were in Haverhill to sell or trade the stolen goods.

Both suspects were charged with receiving stolen property over $250.

Fitzgerald was also charged with furnishing a false name or Social Security number, possession of a dangerous weapon (brass knuckles), and being a fugitive from justice for an outstanding larceny warrant in New Hampshire. He was held without bail following his arraignment today at Haverhill District Court.

Tirone, who had three outstanding warrants for drugs and disorderly conduct, pleaded guilty at her arraignment today in Haverhill, a court official said. She was sentenced to six months at MCI-Framingham.

Steve O’Connell, spokesman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, said Monday that Blodgett’s office anticipated assigning a special prosecutor to pursue more serious charges against any suspects implicated in the multiple thefts.

In response to the arrests, he said today in a statement, “Reports are being reviewed and evidence is being processed to determine if it relates to other incidents … We will proceed accordingly.”

In all but one of the 400 break-ins, the vehicles were left unlocked, but the thefts are still considered break-ins, police said.

Salisbury Police Chief David L’Esperance said Monday that he suspected two separate groups were responsible for the rash of burglaries. The break-ins have come in large bursts, with the thieves seemingly hitting one town for several weeks.

“They’re moving from town to town,’’ said L’Esperance, who is investigating 19 break-ins on a recent night in Salisbury. “They hit a particular area for the night and then move on.’’

Haverhill police have not yet made a connection between Fitzgerald and Tirone and the Salisbury break-ins, Thompson said today.