NJ Thief Stole Cars With Tow Truck, Crushed Them At Scrapyard, Police Say

MERCER COUNTY, NJ - An Ewing man has been charged after stealing seven vehicles in Trenton over a two-month period earlier this year, authorities said.

Walter Mason, 45, of Ewing, was charged with seven counts of Theft of a Motor Vehicle following an investigation by Trenton Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau, according to Police Director Steve E. Wilson.

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Detectives said they identified a pattern of motor vehicle thefts in Trenton during February and March. In each case, surveillance footage showed a tow truck backing up to a victim's vehicle and towing it away without the owner's permission, police said.

Investigators tracked the tow truck to a local scrapyard, where the stolen vehicles had been crushed, according to police. Using investigative techniques and leads, detectives identified Mason as the suspect.

Mason was charged with seven total counts of Theft of a Motor Vehicle.

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