Uh Oh, The HVAC Bandits Are Back

A thief or thieves struck an Oxford business last week, making off with copper coils from several heating/air conditioning units.

The thefts occurred at some point between Feb. 21 and Feb. 27 at Zackin Publications on Willenbrock Road, according to a press release issued by Oxford Resident State Trooper Dan Semosky.

Whoever perpetrated the theft somehow got onto the roof of the business and took 60-pound coils from three of the air conditioning units there, the press release said. 

Semosky said Friday that investigators are trying to find out whether thieves have struck air conditioning units in other towns. Troopers have sent out a teletype to police departments throughout the state to see if there’s a pattern, he said.

“Right now we’re investigating and looking into other towns which may have had similar types of incidents,” he said.

In 2010, both Ansonia and Derby were victimized by thieves targeting large, commercial air conditioning units. Click here to read that story.

Semosky estimated the stolen coils will cost the company several thousand dollars to replace, though he said he didn’t know exactly how much they are worth. He said the parts might have been stolen not to be sold as scrap, but to be used as spare parts.

The town experienced a spate of metal thefts last September.

A 20-year-old Derby man was arrested in October after police said officers caught him trying to steal copper wire from the Connecticut Light and Power storage yard on Great Hill Road. That suspect is currently in a probationary program that could see his record expunged, according to court records.

Semosky said the thefts have, unfortunately, become commonplace recently.

“You shut a couple down and something else will pop up,” he said. ​“I’m confident we’ll eventually figure out what’s going on here and we’ll shut this one down also.”

He said anyone with any information on the case should contact Cpl. James Burr at 203 – 888-4353. Tips and information will be kept confidential, Semosky said.

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