Pennsylvania man charged with burglary after being found in safe of Connecticut state office building

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Connecticut State Police have arrested a Pennsylvania man who allegedly broke into a state office in downtown Hartford Sunday night.

State police responded to 165 Capitol Ave. in Hartford around 5:10 p.m. after an alarm was triggered. According to state police, authorities discovered the suspect had entered the basement through a utility room through a metal grate.

The suspect, 43-year-old Cristian Gonzalez of Shillington, Pennsylvania, was found in the transformer vault in the basement and arrested, state police said.

Gonzalez allegedly damaged or disabled several utilities, causing power outages and system failures at the accountant’s building.

Gonzalez was charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, second-degree criminal trespassing and first-degree criminal damage.

The building was closed Monday due to the impact on its systems. Law enforcement said they conducted multiple inspections to ensure no other unauthorized persons were inside.

Hartford Police, Capitol Police, State Police, and Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Statewide Security responded to the scene. Eversource also responded to restore power to the building.

Attorney General William Tong said Monday morning: “I thank the state police for their prompt and professional response.”

The investigation is now being conducted by the State Police Major Crimes Division.

Gonzalez appeared in Hartford District Court on Monday, where a judge set his bail at $50,000.