Crime & Safety

Unlocked Car Stolen From Manalapan Driveway Nov. 29

Manalapan continues to be a target area for car thieves looking for unlocked motor vehicles, which often have the key fobs left inside.

MANALAPAN, NJ — As reported in the most recent Manalapan police blotter, yet another unlocked vehicle was stolen from a driveway last Thursday, Nov. 29. This is the fourth car to be stolen in Manalapan in October/November.

The homeowner noticed their car was gone at 7:53 a.m. last Thursday morning, when they called 911 for an officer to come to the Locust Grove Lane address. Patrolman Ross Dessel took the report of a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan that had been stolen from the driveway sometime overnight.

The vehicle was believed to be unlocked and the key was left inside, the homeowner said.

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Just one week earlier, on Thursday, Oct. 23, a 2017 grey Mercedes Benz GLS was stolen from a Manalapan driveway. The exact street was not given to Patch. The car had been left with the key fob inside the vehicle, and it had been left unlocked, police said. The owner said it happened just before 11 p.m., when they saw two men walk up their driveway, get inside the car, start it and drive away.

The car was valued at $90,000, and has not been found.

Find out what's happening in Manalapanfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Prior to that, two cars were stolen from Manalapan driveways in October. Both of those cars had been left unlocked with the key fobs inside.

The first car was stolen Tuesday, Oct. 16: At 7:16 a.m. last Tuesday, a 54-year-old Manalapan resident called police to report that their 2016 Mercedes CLS was taken sometime during the overnight hours from the driveway of their Joseph Street home. The key fob had been left inside the vehicle when it was parked.

The Mercedes, valued at approximately $70,000, was subsequently located later that day in Elizabeth.

Then, a day later, on the morning of Wednesday, October 17 a 30-year-old resident of Thompson Grove Road called police to report that their 2017 Lexus LX was taken from their driveway. The resident said they think the car was stolen at approximately 2:00 a.m. that day. The Lexus, valued at $100,000, had also been left unlocked with the key fob inside. That car has yet to be recovered.

Related: Yet Another Unlocked Car Stolen In Manalapan (Nov. 2, 2018)

Two Cars Stolen In Manalapan Last Week (Oct. 23, 2018)

Photo by Carly Baldwin/Patch

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