Children in car witness purse theft in Hingham

Two more Hingham women had their pocketbooks stolen over the past week from their unlocked cars.

In one incident, there were two children in the back seat.

Officer Thomas Ford was dispatched to Tedeschi's on South Street last Friday at 8 a.m. The victim reported the theft of her purse to the fire department at the Torrent Station that notified police.

The victim explained she parked her car against the wall on the side of Tedeschi's and left her pocketbook on the front seat. Her two children, ages 9 and 6, were in the car.

A woman - who was described as 55-65 years old, with short gray hair, and wearing a hooded sweatshirt - opened the front, driver's side door and took the purse, police said.

Tuesday (Feb. 12) at 11:30 a.m., a woman left her pocketbook on the front seat of her unlocked car at CVS. When she came out, her pocketbook was gone.

Both victims were Hingham women, police said.

Hingham police are investigating these and at least seven other thefts with similar circumstances. Weymouth and Cohasset have also reported similar crimes.

Police spokesman Lt. Michael Peraino said the victims are taking money out of their purse and going into the store, leaving the pocketbook on the front seat in an unlocked car. The thief or thieves are watching and grab the purse and take off.

<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Peraino said police are urging shoppers to bring their pocketbooks inside the store with them, no matter how quick their errand is.</span>