Again, A BMW Is Stolen In Maplewood While Its Owner Puts Air In Tires

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Three cars with keys left inside were stolen in Maplewood since last Friday, police said. Among those incidents, a running BMW X5 was stolen while it was in the parking lot of Wawa on Springfield Avenue on Monday. Police said it was stolen while the owner was trying to put air in her tires.

A similar incident occurred last month when a woman stepped out of her BMW at a Maplewood service station to put air in her tires. That time, the car was stolen by a man who got out of a Mercedes. Read more about that here.

The car stolen on Monday was later recovered in Irvington.

Two Other Incidents, Both With Keys Inside

Also in the past week, police said, an unlocked Toyota with keys inside was stolen from a driveway on Courter Avenue in Maplewood between 7 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20.

It was found in New York City this past Monday.

Two days later, on Sunday, Jan. 22, a Nissan Sentra was left running on the 1900 block of Springfield Avenue. It was later found parked in Newark by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.

Police in Essex County, which has been the site of numerous car thefts, have encouraged residents not to leave their keys in their cars. See also this story from October: "3 Cars Stolen From Maplewood While Keys Left Inside"