Thief Foiled In Attempt To Steal Kia In Maplewood

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Several vehicles were broken into in Maplewood in the past week, but not many items were taken, according to a summary of reports from the Maplewood police.

Also, two BMWs were stolen and then recovered, as reported earlier on Patch.

According to police:

On Monday, March 6, someone smashed the rear passenger window to get into a Kia parked on Wellesley Street. "Once entry was gained to the vehicle, the ignition was damaged by an unknown object in an attempt to steal the vehicle," police said. The car was not taken. The incident occurred sometime during the early morning hours.

Another vehicle owner was not as lucky. At 3:30 a.m. that same morning, two men"dressed in all black" entered a Fairview Terrace home through an unlocked window, police said.

The men grabbed four sets of car keys and were able to move four vehicles, leaving two near the house. They ultimately stole two BMW's, police said. Both BMW's were later recovered, police said. See more about that incident here.

Also, on March 3, a contractor doing work at a home on Claremont Avenue said someone stole his black bookbag that was left in his unlocked Ford truck while he was working that morning.

The next day, a resident of Oberlin Street reported that an unknown person had broken several windows on their locked Honda during the overnight hours. The car was parked in the driveway. Several items were removed, but police did not give specifics.

On March 5, a resident of Elmwood Avenue said that their unlocked Audi and Toyota had been "rummaged through" the night before by "two unknown males that had their face covered with facemasks." The resident said a set of wire headphones was removed from the Toyota.

March 6, a Union resident said items were taken from her pocketbook that was left in her unsecured vehicle while it was parked in the parking lot of 684 Irvington Ave. in Maplewood for the previous two days.