5 Youths, 1 Adult Charged In Early Morning North Caldwell Car Burglary Attempts

NORTH CALDWELL, NJ — In the latest in a trend in teens being arrested for car break-ins and thefts in Essex County, the North Caldwell police said Sunday that five juveniles and an adult were charged in connection with car burglary attempts in town over the weekend.

Chief Mark Deuer wrote in a social media post that on Saturday, at 3:57 a.m., officers responded to Hilltop Drive on a report of a possibly motor vehicle burglary.

Deuer said that officers "were quickly able to locate the suspect vehicle in the area."

Police detained six people.

"Fortunately, due to most vehicles being locked and no vehicles having keys inside, this allowed the police time to respond and arrest the suspects with no motor vehicle pursuit," noted Deuer.

(In Essex County, there have been scores of police reports involving cars stolen after they were left unlocked with key fobs with them. READ MORE: 4 Cars With Key Fobs Inside Are Stolen In Millburn In 1 Week.)

Deuer said that all six people were all charged with:

• Burglary to motor vehicles
• Conspiracy to commit motor vehicle theft

The adult was also charged with using minors to commit crimes, Deuer said.

"While we all sleep at night I am proud to say that our men and woman are patrolling aggressively," Deuer noted, "and due to their quick response and good police work, six criminals were taken off the streets."

Two lawmakers in New Jersey said recently that car thefts are an "epidemic" and that gangs have been preying on teens to help them commit these crimes, as their penalties are unlikely to be as stiff.

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