Suspected Burglar Lands in Swamp While Fleeing from Police: Cops

A man crashed a stolen car in Wolcott while fleeing from police after committing a burglary in Bristol, according to Wolcott police.

Thomas Baird, 31, of Bristol, is accused of stealing a blue 2005 Buick Rainer SUV that was parked outside Harold’s convenience store, at 1520 Wolcott Road in Wolcott, at 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday after the owner of the SUV left it running when he went inside to get a newspaper, police said.

As police were heading to the store to take the report, Bristol police reached out to them to say the vehicle might have been involved in a burglary in their town.

Once Wolcott officers arrived at the convenience store there, they viewed video, which showed a man come across the street, jump into the vehicle and drive north on Wolcott Road, toward Bristol, police said. They then issued a broadcast to pick him up.

Just before 8:30 a.m., Southington police called Wolcott police to say they were following the vehicle and it was heading west on Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike, but they lost sight of it at the bottom of Southington Mountain, as it was heading toward Wolcott.

A minute late, Wolcott police saw the car speeding on County Road, then turn north onto Woodtick Road, where it crashed at Clarke Road.

The car flipped several times and landed in a swamp, tossing evidence from the scene of the burglary, police said.

Baird, who police said has a prior arrest record, had been thrown from the car and also landed in the swamp, police said.

An ambulance transported him to St. Mary’s Hospital to be treated for severe injuries. Police said he is expected to survive and will be charged in Wolcott and Bristol.

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