Auto Thefts Lead Police News This Week

In the week following a special meeting on community safety held by the Township of Maplewood, the town saw a number of auto-related crimes.

Three of the crimes involved vehicles that were unlocked: An SUV that was left running in the driveway on Hughes Street was stolen and later found by Newark Police; a vehicle left running outside a Springfield Avenue business was taken and later found using On-Star; and a GPS was stolen from an unlocked car on Burnett Street. Two bicycles were also stolen from an unlocked garage on Pierson Road.

However, two other stolen autos—from Burroughs Way and Parker Avenue—were not reported to be unlocked. Both were stolen overnight.

The complete police blotter is printed below, provided courtesy of Captain Paul Conlon:

September 14, 2010: Stolen Auto—A 2010 GMC Acadia was stolen from a home on Hughes Street at approximately 7:00 am.  The SUV was left unoccupied and running in the driveway of the residence.  A witness reported to Police that he observed a black male, in his twenties, exit a grey Volvo and get into the Acadia and drive it away.  The SUV was last seen south on Hughes St. On Sept. 15, 2010 Newark Police recovered the vehicle in their city and it was returned to the owner.

September 15, 2010: Stolen GPS—A resident of Burnett Street reported to Police that sometime during the overnight hours an unknown actor entered her 2006 Acura and removed the Garmin GPS unit from the vehicle. The car was parked and unlocked in the driveway of the residence.

September 16, 2010: Stolen Auto—A 2005 GMC Envoy was taken from the parking lot of a Springfield Avenue Laundromat shortly after 8:00 pm. The vehicle was left running when a black male, described as 18 years of age, thin build, 5'8" tall, with dread locks, jumped in the driver's seat and fled with the SUV east on Springfield Ave.  The vehicle was later recovered on South 19th St. in Newark with the assistance of On-Star and the Newark Police.

September 16, 2010: Bicycle Theft—A resident of Pierson Rd. reported to Police that sometime between the afternoon of September 15 and 2:00 pm on September 16, two bicycles were removed from the garage at his residence. It appeared that the car parked in the unlocked garage was also entered but no items were reported missing. The bicycles are described as a black Raleigh and a blue Diamondback Cruiser.

September 18, 2010: Stolen Auto—A 2003 Dodge Caravan was taken from the driveway of a home on Burroughs Way between 12:30 am and 7:00 am.

September 20, 2010: Stolen Auto—A 2002 Mercedes Benz was taken from the driveway of a home on Parker Ave.  The vehicle was last seen in the driveway the night before and at approximately 5:15 in the morning the owner noticed it was missing.

September 20, 2010: Burglary—Patrols responded to an alarm call at the Express Laundry World on Springfield Ave just before 1:00 am and located a broken front window to the business. An interior check revealed that one of the coin machines had been tampered with and an unknown amount of coins had been removed.