Numerous Vehicle Break-Ins Reported

Harold Parnes, a resident on Deal Lane, received a rude morning greeting on Tuesday. At around 7:30 a.m., Parnes went outside to take the garbage out, a routine task. It wasn’t long before he realized something wasn’t right. “I said to myself, ‘Something’s missing here’.” That’s when he realized that his 2009 BMW X5 SUV wasn’t in its usual parking spot.

Parnes checked around the area, but the vehicle was nowhere in sight. “Then I notice the tire tracks on my lawn”. Quickly, he reported the incident to the Livingston Police Department.

A township resident since 1996, Parnes said he never had anything like this happen to him before. In addition, two of his other vehicles had been broken into. The thieves went through the interior consoles, although nothing of value was taken from either of the vehicles. “They didn’t really damage anything; they just rummaged through,” he said.

To add insult, Parnes found that his wallet, containing both his credit card and driver's license, was taken.

Soon, police were able to track the vehicle with help from BMW’s anti-theft tracking system that, with the owner’s consent, uses the GSM cellular network to gather the vehicle’s location. Later that afternoon, the vehicle was found unoccupied and recovered off of a side street in Hillside near Rt. 78. No arrests were made, according to Livingston Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold.

Nearly 11 hours after it was first reported stolen, Parnes was driving his vehicle back home from an impound lot in Elizabeth.

Despite the ordeal, he is thankful to have his vehicle back and praised both the Livingston and Hillside Police Departments for their work in the recovery process. “They did a great job. They were quick to respond and quick to recover it,” he said. “I was very happy because I had just gotten it [the vehicle]”.

Parnes wasn't the only victim of an auto break-in on Tuesday. According to Det. Sgt. Dippold, Livingston Police first received a call at 6:30 a.m. about three vehicles being broken into on Laurel Ave.

All of three were unlocked at the time of the incident. The perpetrators ransacked each of the vehicles’ glove compartments; however nothing appeared to be taken. Dippold said that the individuals responsible likely were looking for valet keys to start the vehicle, which is why they focused on the glove compartment.

About a half hour later, police received a second call about another vehicle, a 2010 Mercedes ML350, being entered on Willow Lane, near the West Orange border. Similarly, the glove compartment was broken open and its contents were strewn throughout the vehicle’s interior. Nothing, however, was reported missing.

At around noon time, police received a fourth call from a home on North Baums Court to report that a 2010 Mercedes and a 2005 Toyota Sienna, both unlocked, were entered while in the resident’s driveway. In this case, the glove compartments of both vehicles were emptied and a set of keys was reported missing.

Police believe the break-ins Tuesday are related to a widespread problem spanning Northern New Jersey. In nearby Millburn, over 100 cases of motor vehicle break-ins have been on Patch since March. The incidents have resulted in the Millburn Police Department ramping up their patrol in the township.

“It could be the same people, maybe different groups,” said Dippold. In addition to Livingston and Millburn, the thieves are believed to have struck in Florham Park, Roseland, Summit, Madison and West Orange. “It seems like they’re moving to different townships on different evenings,” he said.

Dippold also took the time to remind residents about the importance of locking their vehicles at night. “A majority of these vehicles are not locked,” he said. “Sometimes people are leaving their keys or key fob in there and that’s how they’re able to steal these cars”.