Police Say Three Men Tried to Tow Hondas Out of Dealership

The following arrest information was provided by West Caldwell Police and does not indicate a conviction.

A foot chase led to the arrest of three men West Caldwell Police say were attempting to tow away cars from Sunday afternoon. 

The men were in the process of hooking up two new 2012 Honda Pilots to a flat bed truck near the rear gated area of the dealership when they were spotted on surveillance cameras by Paul Miller Honda’s security company.

West Caldwell Police responded to the dealership at 1170 Bloomfield Avenue after receiving a call from the security company at 2:50 p.m. Sunday. When the suspects noticed the patrol cars, the men took off running to the woods toward Johnson Avenue.

Lt. John Kopf apprehended one suspect on Francine Avenue and Sgt. Dennis Capriglione caught the other two suspects near the PSE&G right-of-way on Kirkpatrick Lane. 

According to police, Raymond Royes-Riggs, 34, of Haledon, Carlos Arnau, 31, of Union, and Virgilio Espanal Sanz, 25, of Bloomfield, were arrested and charged with two counts of theft of movable property and resisting arrest. They were transported to the Essex County Jail where bail was set at $75,000. 

Police say the flatbed tow truck was reported stolen in Linden several days ago and was impounded for further investigation. The cars were turned back over to Paul Miller Honda.

“I would like to thank the residents on the area who helped the officers by pointing out what direction the actors were running as officers gave chase on foot,” West Caldwell Police Chief Michael Bramhall stated in a release.