Purse Snatching Eyewitness: ‘It Was Scary, It Could Have Been Me’

Shelton resident Diane Massafra wasn’t expecting a routine grocery-shopping trip to lead to her involvement in a criminal investigation, but on July 5 she admirably rushed to the aid of a complete stranger who had .

Massafra spotted a commotion of sorts as she was leaving on Bridgeport Avenue. “I was walking to my car with my grocery carriage; I was maybe a few cars away from the incident. All of the sudden I see this girl getting dragged by a car,” she said. “I saw her hanging out the window kind of latching on and struggling.”

At first, Massafra thought maybe the girl was fighting with her boyfriend, “but then when she fell to the ground and the car drove off she starting yelling for help saying her purse was taken.”

Massafra immediately took action. She dropped her cart and ran over to the victim. “She was crying and very upset because her boyfriend’s car keys were in that purse and she was worried he’d be angry.”

Massafra helped the victim, a woman named Tracy described as being in her late 40s, to Tracy’s car, where they sat to talk and calm down.

The two women called 9-1-1 as soon as they got in the car. Fortunately, Tracy was able to provide the police with clear, key details about the perpetrator.

“She had a lot of information about the car that dragged her, like a detailed description and the license plate number,” Massafra recalls. “She said it was because she used to be a security guard of some sort and was trained to pick up on that kind of information.”

“I was really impressed and kind of surprised by this. I don’t know if I would have had the composure to notice those things had it been me.”

Massafra said she experienced an adrenaline rush as she spoke with officers. “I was shaking while on the phone. But I wanted to make sure [Tracy] was okay. It was scary. I just kept think about how it could have been me.”

responded quickly, and eventually arrested Mark Franklin and Jessica Rivera, both of Derby, in following days. Tracy was also assisted by paramedics, as her foot was gauged after being pulled by the car. She was other wise unharmed.

As for how the incident has affected Massafra, she said she doesn’t necessarily feel unsafe in Shelton, but will certainly be more cautious in the future.

“I usually try to be aware in parking lots,” she said. “People just put their guard down sometimes and things like this can happen easily. You’ve got to be more alert. Seeing this crime has definitely made me conscious of being aware, even when you’re just going to the store.”

Massafra is also relieved that the thieves were arrested. “I didn’t even think they’d catch them,” she said. “Route 8 is so close to the store that I was afraid they’d hop on and never be found.”

Thanks to Massafra’s quick aid and Tracy’s keen eye for details, the police did nab the purse-snatchers, and Tracy’s belongings were returned.