3 Cars Stolen In Holmdel, Colts Neck Over Easter Weekend

COLTS NECK, NJ — In addition to two SUVs stolen in Holmdel over the weekend, police in Colts Neck announced Monday morning a luxury car was stolen there, as well. This amounts to at least three car thefts in Monmouth County in an Easter weekend crime spree.

A resident of Twin Lakes Drive in Colts Neck Twp. reported their 2009 Mercedes CL550 was stolen from their driveway sometime overnight Sunday into Monday. The vehicle had been left unlocked with the key fob inside.

Police were able to search the car's GPS history and last had its location at 3:30 a.m. today, Monday, April 2. If anyone observed any suspicious activity in the area of Twin Lakes Drive, please contact the Colts Neck Police Department Detective Bureau at 732-780-7323 or detectives@coltsneckpolice.com.

3 Easter weekend Monmouth County car thefts:

In Holmdel, a white 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen from a driveway on Grandview Drive sometime between Thursday night and Friday.

Then on Saturday, March 31, police were called to a home on Richards Way, where a black 2018 Mercedes Benz S56 was taken at 3:00 a.m. Saturday.

Police have not commented if any of these three most recent thefts are related.

Monmouth County car thefts are skyrocketing

Patch has reported for months now about the problem of residents in wealthy rural areas, such as Colts Neck, Middletown and Holmdel, leaving their key fobs inside or near unlocked cars. At least a dozen SUVs were stolen from the area this past September and October. The cars are often taken to the Port Elizabeth container port and shipped to West Africa, where they can be resold with little questions asked. Read our past reporting on this problem: 8 Suburban NJ Towns Targeted In Luxury Car Thefts

“These are not high-crime rate areas, which is why people might feel they can leave their key or key fob in the car overnight,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden told News 12 in February. “We’re asking them, please remove the key fob, lock the car and set the alarm.”

The number of car thefts in Monmouth County has skyrocketed, according to the sheriff: There were 73 reported car thefts in the first half of 2017; that number rose to 157 in the second half.

These days, car thieves don't even have to walk on your property to see if they can steal a car: Criminals use mobile apps to find out whether you left your key fob inside your vehicle. The app allows them to locate transmitter fobs from up to 400 feet away. Such apps are illegal, but can be found on the dark web.

"There are electronic devices sold on the black market that can be used to drive down a road and detect these signals," Clark Police Chief Pedro Matos told Patch last October when we first began reporting on this issue.

It's as simple as criminals driving down a quiet suburban street at night with the app turned on. All key fobs transmit a signal to the car's computer, telling the car the key fob is in range. The app, which is illegal, picks up that signal, letting car thieves know their getaway keys are close at hand.

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