Police Find $9K In Stolen Tractor-Trailer During I-287 Traffic Stop

MAHWAH, NJ — A Michigan man was arrested for and charged with possession of stolen property following a traffic stop on Interstate 287 where police found $9,000, authorities said.

Officer Tyler Boucher stopped the driver, Charles Edward Morton for careless driving on I-287 North at 12:29 a.m. Tuesday morning, said Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli.

The tractor-trailer was registered to an Akron, Ohio company that was reported stolen, Batelli said.

Boucher noticed discrepancies and altered paperwork while speaking with Morton and inspecting the tractor-trailer, the chief said. The registration belonged to a different truck and the truck had been reported stolen.

Police found and seized $9,000 from the vehicle, which was wrapped and packaged consistent "with bundling and transporting money used in criminal activity," Batelli said.

The trailer had been reported stolen out of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 2013, which Mechanicsburg and Akron police confirmed to Mahwah authorities, Batelli said.

Morton, 62, of Detroit, was charged with two counts of possession of stolen property and tampering with a public record. He was issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving, improper display of license plates and failure to possess/display required documents.

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Photo: Charles Edward Morton, 62, of Detroit/Mahwah Police Department