Livingston Police Looks for Tips in Solving Car Theft and Two Attempts

Livingston police are looking for help solving one car theft and two attempted thefts in the township.

The first attempted theft happened early Sunday morning, according to Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold, the Livingston police public information officer.

Dippold said an Livingston police officer was following a silver Volkswagen Jetta driving near Ross Road at around 3 a.m. Sunday, following a report from Millburn police regarding several cars being broken into.

The officer followed the car on several streets before losing it as the car crossed the West Orange border, according to police. The officer returned to Ross Road and saw a person enter and leave a parked car, Dippold said. Nothing appeared to be missing, Dippold added, but he said the officer might have thwarted a theft because there was a valet key inside the car. 

The second emergency call came around 11:45 p.m. Sunday from a resident on Jason Lane who saw a man try to enter a locked car parked in a driveway, Dippold said. The resident said the suspect ran down the driveway into a black Land Rover with other people and the car drove away, Dippold said. 

A Livingston police officer saw the car driving west on East Mount Pleasant Avenue and tried to pull it over, he said. The car did a U-turn and sped away and the township police officer followed the car up to the West Orange border before ending the chase, Dippold said. 

The police got an emergency call around 1 a.m that a black 2011 Mazda CXR was stolen from a driveway on Lafayette Drive, Dippold said. The ignition key was inside the car. Dippold said the police do not have a description of the suspect or suspects. 

Anyone with information should contact the Livingston police detective division at (973) 992-3000. All tips will be kept confidential.