Union Man Charged With 15 'Smash-And-Grab' Burglaries, Car Thefts

UNION, NJ — A Union man was arrested and charged with a dozen “smash-and-grab” burglaries and three motor vehicle thefts in seven different towns over two weeks, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said.

Christopher Ransom, 48, of the Vauxhall section of Union, is charged with a total of 37 counts, including charges of burglary, criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, and other related offenses.

The investigation began after a red pickup truck was stolen from the 700 block of Boulevard in Kenilworth on Sept. 26. After that 14 other burglaries were reported, Ruotolo said.

The 14 other burglaries linked to Ransom include:

• Sept. 27: Burglary of motor vehicle, 600 block of U.S. Route 22 West, Hillside
• Sept. 27: Burglary of business establishment, 10 block of Ashwood Avenue, Summit
• Sept. 29: Burglary of business establishment, 200 block of So. Orange Ave., Livingston
• Oct. 3: Stolen motor vehicle, 300 block of Conant Street, Hillside
• Oct. 3: Burglary of business establishment, 100 block of Hillside Avenue, Springfield
• Oct. 5: Attempted burglary of business establishment, 300 block U.S. Route 22, Hillside
• Oct. 5: Burglary of business establishment, 1300 block of Chestnut Avenue, Hillside
• Oct. 5: Stolen motor vehicle, 900 block of Rahway Avenue, Union
• Oct. 6: Attempted burglary of business establishment, 1200 block Salem Avenue, Hillside
• Oct. 6: Burglary of business establishment, 100 block of Hillside Avenue, Hillside
• Oct. 6: Attempted burglary of business establishment, 100 block U.S. Route 22, Hillside
• Oct. 9: Burglary of business establishment, 10 block of Caldwell Place, Springfield
• Oct. 9: Burglary of business establishment, 1100 block U.S. Route 22, Mountainside
• Oct. 9: Burglary of business establishment, 900 block of South Springfield Avenue, Springfield

The businesses burglarized included seven gas stations, a convenience store, a tire store, a bakery, and a farmer’s market. Ransom either forced his way in or tried to force his way into the closed or locked stores in most of the crimes, Ruotolo said.

Ransom was found in Newark hours after the final burglary in Springfield and was arrested.

He appeared in Superior Court last Wednesday and his next appearance has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21.

Ransom's arrest was the result of an investigation coordinated by the newly formed Intelligence-Driven Investigation and Prosecution Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office, under the command of Lt. Gary Webb and Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Peter DeRose, and involved participation from the Cyber Crime Task Force of the Prosecutor’s Office, as well as members of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, under the command of Sheriff Peter Corvelli, and detectives from the various departments including:

• Hillside Police Department, under the command of Chief Vincent Ricciardi
• Kenilworth Police Department, under the command of Chief John Zimmerman
• Livingston Police Department, under the command of Chief Gary Marshuetz
• Mountainside Police Department, under the command of Chief Joseph Giannuzzi
• Springfield Police Department, under the command of Chief John Cook
• Summit Police Department, under the command of Chief Robert Weck
• Union Police Department, under the command of Director Daniel Zieser

"We launched this new unit to serve two functions: to proactively reduce violence, and to serve a reactive function in addressing specific spikes in criminal activity affecting the county. Here, the intention behind the creation of the unit was realized: intelligence was gathered, resources marshalled, and the efforts of other law enforcement agencies were coordinated in developing a case, so that we could take swift action to protect the community we serve," Ruotolo said. "This arrest is an early indicator of the anticipated positive impact this new unit will have in the lives of the people of Union County."

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