Four Cars Stolen From Holmdel In One Day; Newark Crew Charged

HOLMDEL, NJ — If you read Patch, you'll know we often report on the near-epidemic of unlocked luxury cars being stolen from driveways in wealthy suburban communities such as Holmdel, Middletown and Manalapan.

And earlier this August, the Essex County prosecutor's office announced six arrests in a luxury car theft ring, which included four luxury cars stolen from Holmdel, all on the same day — July 24. The cars, a Mercedes Benz, a Land Rover Range Rover, an Audi and a Ford F150, were taken from driveways of homes on Carla Court, Tycor Run and Stoney Brook Road.

Six men, all from Newark, were charged in the multi-county $500,000 high-end car theft ring, Essex County Prosecutor Rob Laurino announced on Aug. 7: Dante Jones, 18, Kevon Wright, 18, Omari Shomari, 18, Ismeal Merrill, 25, Muhammad Merrill, 21, and Layquan Davis, 18, were all charged with second-degree conspiracy to receive stolen property. Four of the men, from left to right, are pictured above: Jones, Wright, Davis and Muhammad Merrill.

It is alleged that the crew stole the following:
 A 2017 Bentley Continental from Monmouth Beach, on July 11
 A 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio, from Moorestown, on July 16
 A 2015 Land Rover Evoque, from Warren, on July 17
 A 2018 Audi Q5, from Hillsdale, on July 19
 A 2017 Mercedes Benz C300, from Holmdel, on July 24
 A 2016 Land Rover Range Rover, from Holmdel, on July 24
 A 2018 Audi from Holmdel on July 24
 A 2018 Ford F150 from Holmdel, on July 24

All the cars were stolen with a key fob left inside and the car parked in the driveway, the Essex County prosecutor said. All the cars were recovered in Newark.

Several of the men have been arrested and released under home confinement until trial. Shomari and Ismeal Merrill remain at large; warrants were issued for their arrests.

In addition to the auto theft charges, Davis was charged with possession of 200 grams of marijuana and one deck of heroin. The Merrills were charged with credit card thefts for allegedly using stolen credit cards that belonged to the registered owner of the Alfa Romeo at a WalMart in Kearny.

Mugshots released by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office