Out-of-State Teen Busted After Brazen Branford Car Break

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

Police have arrested a teenager accused of breaking into cars in broad daylight and later targeting a local driver in a hit-and-run after a multi-town search.

Manuel Rosario-Nieves, 19, of Erie, Pennsylvania, was first spotted around Highland Avenue and Riverview Avenue in Branford. A resident reported seeing a suspicious man in a pink hoodie and black ski mask jump out of a gray Hyundai SUV with dark-tinted windows, grab something from the trunk of an Audi, and speed off, police said. 

Two days later, that same SUV was back in Branford, and this time, things escalated. According to police, the driver followed someone to their home on Short Beach Road, then hit the back of their car not once, but twice, before speeding away.

Branford police investigators quickly connected the two incidents. The vehicle description matched, and police put out an alert. Later that day, the Hyundai SUV was found abandoned near a construction site in Portland. A few hours later, officers found Rosario-Nieves hiding behind a home nearby.

Portland police arrested him, and he now faces a long list of charges, including second-degree attempted assault, burglary, criminal mischief, larceny, and multiple counts of reckless driving, breach of peace, and trespassing, Branford authorities said. 

Investigators urge that anyone with more information on the case contact Branford Police at 203-481-4241.