A series of recent thefts from cars parked in the lots at area YMCAs — in Bethlehem, Guilderland, Wilton, and Glens Falls — seem to be linked, said Bethlehem Commander Adam Hornick.  

On Sunday, Nov. 6, between 9 and 10 a.m., windows of multiple cars at the Bethlehem Y on Delaware Ave. were broken and valuables that had been left in plain sight were taken, Hornick said.

Perpetrators have been using the stolen items to try to get cash from victims’ bank accounts, sometimes visiting the drive-through windows, Hornick said.

Deputy Chief Curtis Cox of the Guilderland Police said he believed there had been a couple of different complaints of items stolen from the parking lot of the Guilderland Y; one such complaint, he said, was made on Nov. 5.

These thefts are strictly from the parking lot, Hornick said; the perpetrators do not go inside. They don’t want anyone to see them, he added.

Bethlehem Police also recently made an arrest in what Hornick called a “spree” of thefts from a locker room at the Bethelehem Y. These thefts were reported on Oct. 26, and arrests were made Oct. 28,  he said.

“We had some good intel, and were able to follow up and make the arrests, and even retrieve some of the stolen items,” he said, adding that the perpetrators in the locker-room thefts were juveniles from a group home who had been brought to the Y for an activity.

Hornick and Cox both said valuables left in a vehicle should be kept out of sight — under seats, in compartments, or in the trunk. The Bethlehem department also notes that vehicles should be kept locked and that owners should set up the tracking apps on their electronic devices, since this can help police to retrieve the devices if they are stolen.