Father, Son and Cop Foil Attempted Car Theft In Belleville: Police

Belleville, NJ – A father and son – with the assistance of an off-duty police officer – helped to catch and detain a suspected car thief last week, authorities stated.

According to the Belleville Police Department, a Floyd Street resident reported that the attempted theft allegedly took place on March 10 around 7:35 a.m. as he was loading his white 2002 Ford F350 truck.

The victim told police that as the truck idled in his driveway, he began loading another vehicle. At that time, he allegedly saw his truck pull out of the driveway.

The driver of the truck struck another car before heading south on Floyd Street, the victim told police.

Giving chase, the victim, his father and an off-duty police officer in the area were able to catch up to the truck soon afterwards, authorities stated.

The suspect – later identified as Omar Serrano, 45, of Newark – then jumped out of the vehicle and ran into a backyard, police stated.

The three men caught up to him and managed to detain him until police arrived on the scene, authorities said.

Police arrested Serrano and charged him with motor vehicle theft.

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