The North Haven Police Department have charged a 21-year-old with first-degree larceny using DNA evidence developed from an investigation into a 2020 car theft.

According to a press release from the North Haven Police Department, a Wayland Street resident reported his 2020 Jeep Gladiator was stolen from his driveway on Sept. 13, 2020. The victim had left the keys inside the vehicle and found the Jeep missing when he attempted to leave for work in the morning.

The Jeep was recovered in East Hartford on Sept. 22, 2020 and processed by North Haven officers, according to the release. DNA collected from the Jeep matched two other recovered stolen vehicles, one from East Hartford and one from Rocky Hill. With the assistance from the Connecticut Forensic Laboratory, investigators identified 21-year-old Yavier Ruiz-Velez as a suspect. On July 28, Ruiz-Velez was charged with first degree larceny.