Four Arrested For Stealing Cell Phones

After four separate incidents of cell phone thefts in Maplewood last week, local police arrested four people, including two juveniles.

Quinton McCleese-Stokes of Newark and Jassiem Harper of Irvington were arrested last Wednesday, June 27, along with two minors, in connection to a string of thefts that occurred between Monday, June 25, and Wednesday, June 27.

According to police, a woman was walking on Prospect Street when a teenaged boy approached her and asked to use her cell phone. After handing over the phone, the boy turned and fled to a blue Chevrolet pickup truck.

A witness provided a description to police and the truck was stopped later in the day. When stopped, the four people got out of the car and tried to walk away, however, each of them was detained by police and the teenaged boy was identified by the woman.

The first theft happened Monday in the area of Tuscan Road and Rutgers Street. A teenage girl was approached by a teenage boy. The boy asked if he could use her cell phone. When she did not answer him, he grabbed it and fled.

On Tuesday, a man said he was approached by a young black man on Indiana Street. The young man asked to use his phone and ran away as soon as it was in his hands. The man who was robbed also reported the young black man fled in a blue pickup truck.

A boy with his parent reported another theft to Maplewood police on Wednesday. The boy said he saw a man steal an unattended iPhone at the Tuscan School and then ran to a waiting blue Chevrolet pickup truck.

Maplewood police did not comment.