Car Thieves Break Into Homes As Families Sleep To Steal Keys In Somerset County: Cops

MONTGOMERY, NJ — Car thieves are becoming more brazen as they broke into two homes while families slept inside in order to steal the keys to their cars, said Montgomery Police.

Both separate burglaries happened in the Cherry Valley Country Club section of Montgomery Township, said police.

The first burglary happened on Saturday at around 4:50 a.m. when someone entered the home through an unlocked outside and interior garage door, said police.

Once inside the person or people stole the victim's wallet, purse, and vehicle keys. They then stole the victim’s 2022 BMW X7, said police.

The residents were inside the home at the time of the theft, but never had contact with the burglars, said police.

The second burglary happened on Monday at around 3:30 a.m. when someone entered the home through the unlocked front door, said police.

Once inside the person or people stole the victim’s purse and two sets of vehicle keys. They also stole the victim’s 2022 Cadillac Escalade and 2021 Porsche Taycan, said police.

The victim and their family were inside the home at the time of the thefts, but never had any contact with the burglars, said police.

The Montgomery Township Department of Police Services is encouraging residents to take an active role in crime prevention by keeping the following safety tips in mind:

• Always lock your car doors after entering or leaving your vehicle.
• Park in well-lighted areas.
• Have your car keys in your hand so you don't have to linger before entering your car.
• Check the interior of your vehicle for intruders before entering your car.
• If you think you are being followed, drive to a public place or a police station.
• Never leave your purse or wallet in plain view or in common accessible areas.
• Always remove Key Fobs from cars, and don’t leave garage door openers accessible to a potential suspect that may try to enter your home.
• Finally, if a crime does occur...report it! Everyone should consider it his or her responsibility to report crime. Many criminals develop favorite areas for committing crime, as well as predictable methods of operation.
• When you report all the facts about a crime, it helps the police assign officers in the places where crimes are occurring or where they are most likely to occur, and your report may help prevent a crime from reoccurring.

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