Naugatuck man continues to cling to life in a coma after confronting criminals
By MARCY JONES and ROB POLANSKY
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NAUGATUCK, Connecticut (WFSB) — A family in Naugatuck said they experienced unimaginable grief when their loved one was left for dead in front of his own home.
They said 42-year-old Joel “Brandon” Guth was defending his property on Tuesday after he caught suspects trying to steal his work truck.
Police said the criminals ran Guth over and were still on the loose as of Thursday morning.
They said the incident was one of several break-ins reported on Tuesday, but Guth’s was the only one that involved a serious injury.
The victim was clinging to life in a coma.
Police said Guth, a landscaper in Naugatuck, saw at least two people pull up in a black vehicle and attempt to steal his landscaping truck just before 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Guth then went outside to try and save his truck filled with his tools and that’s when police said the crime took an extremely violent turn.
They said the suspects struck and ran over Guth, who was the left in the street.
Naugatuck police have since seized the vehicle used by the suspects. They’ve now shifted the focus to finding the people responsible.
In the meantime, neighbors in the area said they simply don’t feel comfortable in their own community.
Joanne Rossi said she has lived in the neighborhood for 44 years.
“I honestly don’t like it at all,” Rossi told Channel 3. “This was my piece of earth that I never had to worry about and now I do.”
Mike Fonseca, another neighbor, had a message for elected officials.
“They gotta wake up, they gotta do something about it,” Fonseca said.
Police asked anyone with information or videos to give them a call.
There was a GoFundMe fundraising account set up to help cover Guth’s medical costs.
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