Fitchburg residents interrupt burglary, police say

Police are asking the public’s help after Fitchburg residents returned home to discover a burglary in progress Thursday night, according to a release.

The Fitchburg Police Department is attempting to identify a man possibly involved in a break-in and a vehicle believed to be driven by him.

Officers from the Fitchburg Police Department responded around 8 p.m. to 2900 block of Rothmore Lane for an attempted burglary. A white male in his late teens/early 20s rang the front doorbell before attempting to break in to a door on the rear of the residence, police said.

Approximately 15 minutes later and about a half-mile northeast of the home on Rothmore Lane, homeowners in the 5700 block of Kilkenny Place interrupted a burglary in progress. Shortly after entering their residence, the homeowners noticed a dark-colored station wagon fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed. They discovered that someone had forced entry to a basement door and taken several items. Several items taken from the residence were located where the car had been parked on the street.

The person involved in that incident was also described as a white male in his late teens or early 20s. The vehicle is a dark-colored station wagon.

Anyone who has any knowledge of the man’s identity or information about the Thursday night incidents is asked to contact the Fitchburg Police Department at 608-270-4300.

Anonymous tips can be submitted via the police website, www.fitchburgwi.gov/police, by texting “FITCHBURG” along with the tip information to 847411, by using the Submit a Crime Tip app on the Police Department’s Facebook page or by calling the anonymous tipster line, 608-270-4321.