8 Car Break-Ins in Manalapan in One Single Day

Manalapan, NJ - Manalapan is experiencing a rash of car break-ins lately, with, incredibly, up to 8 unlocked cars entered in a single 24-hour period.

All the break-ins happened Friday, March 18, police said.

The first was reported on Chaucer Road. A man, 35, said someone entered his car in the early morning hours Friday. No forced entry was observed to the vehicle and it may have been unlocked, he said. However, several electronic items were stolen, valuing $1,550.

After that, two more victims on Chaucer Road came forward. They said their two cars were broken into while they sat, unlocked, in the driveway of their home. A pair of sunglasses and a wallet containing credits cards was stolen from one vehicle.

Then, a family reported two cars were broken into while parked in their driveway on Elliot Road. A Tom Tom GPS unit valued at $198 was taken from one of the vehicles, and $20 in cash was taken from the other.

Another woman on Elliot Road also called police Friday, to report that someone entered her unlocked vehicle parked her driveway, and took $5 in cash.

Another Elliot Road resident said he heard his dog barking at 3:50 a.m. and looked outside to see two men entering his unlocked car. He opened the window and saw two men outside his vehicle with the doors open. The suspects were scared off when they saw him, and a description was given to police. A follow-up investigation is being conducted by Det. Jared Aronson.

Finally, sometime between 11 p.m. Thursday, March 17 and Friday morning, a Smock Court resident said his car was entered. He had left it unlocked and upon returning at 10:30 a.m. the next morning he found it had been entered and a bag of trash was sitting on the driver’s seat. The steering column also looked like it had been tampered with.