Attempted Car Theft From Tinton Falls Driveway, With Child Inside: PD

TINTON FALLS, NJ — The same week the state Attorney General and Gov. Phil Murphy announced car thefts are surging statewide, a Tinton Falls homeowner reported that his car was nearly stolen from his driveway Tuesday — while he, his wife and their sleeping 3-year-old daughter were inside.

It happened this past Tuesday afternoon, April 26, confirmed Tinton Falls Police, who said they are investigating the crime as an attempted car theft. No arrests have been made.

The homeowner contacted Patch to share his story because: "I'm just in shock," he said. "I know car thefts happen in our area, but this happened to me in broad daylight with us inside the car."

"I want people to know this happened, so someone's else's car with their 3-year-old daughter inside is not stolen out of their driveway," he said.

The homeowner, 45, said he and his wife just happened to return home at the same time on Tuesday afternoon, at about 1:50 p.m. (He asked that their street be withheld for privacy reasons.)

"I was coming back from a doctor's appointment and I parked my car in the garage and closed the garage door. My wife pulled into the driveway in her BMW X7, an SUV. She asked me to go inside and start the tea kettle, which I did. I came back outside and got in the passenger door and was sitting inside the car talking to her."

Their daughter, 3-and-a-half years old, was fast asleep in the back.

That was when he noticed "two men, both in hoodies and pulling their COVID masks up over their face walking, well, creeping really, up our driveway."

"I said to my wife, 'Who the F— is this coming up our driveway?'" said the man.

He said he instantly locked the car doors and hit the garage door to close. One of the men yanked on his wife's car door to open it, and he said appeared stunned to see two people inside the car. He said the second man tried to enter the garage, but the doors came closing down on him.

"I told my wife to gun the car hard in reverse and she did and that's when they both peeled off and drove away," said the man. "My daughter slept through the entire thing."

He said he never saw a gun on either man, but one kept reaching for something under his hoodie, he said.

He shared this video from his Ring home security camera that shows the two men in his driveway, and his wife reversing the car fast in reverse, and then the two men running off: https://ring.com/share/68cd912...

The man said he called 911 and "within three minutes, I had nine Tinton Falls police cars at my house."

Tinton Falls Police confirmed the incident. They also said the getaway car the two suspects were driving had been reported stolen out of another nearby Monmouth County town; they declined to say which town.

No arrests have been made. The homeowner said he could only describe the suspects as two young African-American men.

"I really think they saw a BMW SUV in the driveway with the mirrors out and thought it was unlocked," he said. "They did not expect to find anybody inside."

"It's horrifying," said this area's state Sen. Vin Gopal (D), who represents Tinton Falls, and said he spoke with both the homeowner and police about the incident. "We're trying to see what we can do. Maybe looking at bail reform."

This past weekend, April 22-24, there were multiple car theft attempts in Middletown and one car was stolen from the Lincroft section, said Middletown Police. A Shrewsbury man had his Porsche Cayenne stolen when he left it parked and running on White Street in Red Bank last Tuesday afternoon, April 19, said Red Bank Police.

In response to the surge in car thefts happening across New Jersey, state Attorney General Matt Platkin held a special emergency press conference in Marlboro Friday morning, where he announced he is reversing his previous policy that prevented police officers from chasing stolen cars.

Platkin said Friday he listened to police officers who disagreed with his decision, and is now permitting police to chase a car they think has been stolen.

"I want especially for our folks in law enforcement to know I have listened to their concerns ... We will permit pursuits based on the commission of several additional crimes, notably car theft and receiving a stolen vehicle," Platkin said. "These changes will give law enforcement the tools they need to protect their communities."

"The thefts have become more brazen, happening in broad daylight while people are unloading groceries. This is something that is completely unacceptable," said Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik at Friday's press conference.

Prior: Man Charged After Car Stolen With Baby In It In Maplewood (Feb. 2022) The car was stolen at about 2:05 p.m. in the CVS parking lot on Valley Street in Maplewood. The mother went into the story and left the one-year-old child sleeping in the car seat. It is unknown if the car had been locked.

As NJ Car Thefts Surge, State Revises Policy To Allow Police Pursuit (April 29)

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