Thief Crashes $75,000 Audi, Totaling It: Bernardsville Police

BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, NJ —A stolen Audi, valued at approximately $75,000, was found wrecked and abandoned on Friday morning, Bernardsville police said.

Officers arrived to the crash site on Hardscrabble Road at 5:14 a.m. and found that a 2019 Audi RS5 had been abandoned after the driver left the roadway and crashed it into a tree, police said.

"The vehicle received extensive damage as a result of the crash rendering it inoperable," police said in a news release.

Police learned that the Audi was stolen from a driveway on Ballantine Road in Bernardsville. The resident reported it had been stolen sometime after 10 p.m. Thursday.

At 8:10 a.m., a Liberty Road resident contacted police to report an attempted car theft, police said. Officers got surveillance footage showing a suspect trying to get into a vehicle at 5:33 a.m.

The footage shows "an unknown male wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants exit a white SUV," police said. "The actors attempted to gain entry into the vehicle but were unsuccessful before fleeing the area."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police at 908-766-0037.

Police also remind residents to lock their vehicles and homes, and keep their keys safe.