Middletown Posts Police Cars By Parkway Entrances Due To Crime Surge

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown has now posted multiple police cars parked at the entrances of Exit 109 and 114 to the Garden State Parkway.

The police cars will be there for the foreseeable future, said Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, who said he directed the police department to place the cars there beginning last Thursday.

"We will have marked and unmarked patrol cars there for the future," said Perry on Monday. "And license plate readers."

Perry said he directed the Middletown Police Dept. to place the cars there in response to the surge in crime thefts Middletown and surrounding towns have experienced this summer: Multiple cars were stolen in Rumson in the past few weeks, and there were six attempts to steal catalytic converters in Port Monmouth and North Middletown last Wednesday night. Police said three were successful and thieves made off with catalytic converters, which are very expensive to replace.

There have been several home invasions in Holmdel, with the most recent last Thursday, when suspects in a black BMW SUV broke into a Palmetto Court garage but fled to the Garden State Parkway after the home's burglar alarm was activated. Read that story: Resident Scares Away Burglars With Security Alarm In Holmdel

Auto theft is up 31 percent in 2022, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said this spring, and in response to the increase, he changed his policy and now allows New Jersey police officers to pursue stolen car suspects in car chases. Read: As NJ Car Thefts Surge, State Revises Policy To Allow Police Pursuit

The suspects in Monmouth County car thefts and home invasions usually flee back onto the Parkway, police have previously said.

Perry said he felt compelled to take action. He also called for changes to New Jersey's bail reform system, where suspects accused of a crime are no longer held on bail and usually released within hours of their arrest.

"Until our judicial system actually keeps the people it is supposed to protect safe, we have to do things like this," said Perry on Monday morning. "We need criminals held in jail when they are accused of a crime."

"Just a simple warning to anyone thinking about stealing a car in Middletown … we have multiple police officers at Exit 109 and Exit 114 that would love to meet you! They would be happy to give you a tour of our new town hall, including the jail cells and our court room. Don’t stop here, just go back up North! #MiddletownNJ" Perry posted to his Facebook page Friday.

Currently in New Jersey, only those accused of the most serious crimes such as murder, aggravated assault and sex assault are held in jail until trial. In 2017, bail reform in New Jersey essentially eliminated cash bail, or paying a cash bond to be let out of jail.

However, in the years since, many in New Jersey law enforcement criticize bail reform, saying the people they arrest for stealing a car or breaking into a home are often let out of jail that very same day.

"The process of catch and release must end," said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden earlier this summer. "In Marlboro Township, Sharrod Rogers was arrested in November of 2020 for auto theft and released in one day. That same individual was re-arrested in Newark at the end of March 2022, charged with killing two people in a stolen vehicle. This is an unfortunate example of an ongoing failed system and stiffer penalties must be enacted."