Bring Back Bail For Car Thieves, Say NJ Republican Lawmakers

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — In response to the surge in car thefts happening statewide, a group of Republican lawmakers held a press conference in Middletown Tuesday, where they called for bringing back mandatory cash bail for those caught stealing a car, and longer prison sentences for those found guilty of stealing a car.

The press conference was led by Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, plus Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (from Holmdel) and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (from Middletown).

Flynn and Scharfenberger said they plan to introduce legislation in Trenton that will bring back cash bail for those caught stealing a car, and increase their prison term if found guilty. This would particularly apply to people found guilty of stealing a car for a second or third time.

Their bill also calls for mandatory prison time for an adult who commissions or entices a teenager to steal a car.

Currently, there is none.

“There should be a mandatory minimum sentence for any adult who puts a juvenile down the wrong path in these auto theft crime rings," said Assemblywoman Flynn. “This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue — this is a public safety issue. It's also not Monmouth County; it's statewide."

Sheriff Golden agreed, saying the teenage boys and young men in their early 20s are being "victimized" by the adults who run New Jersey's auto theft rings.

The ringleaders commission the teens to drive into wealthy suburban towns and steal the cars. The cars are then driven to urban centers such as Newark and Paterson, police said. If the stolen cars are not recovered on city streets, they are then sometimes loaded onto container ships at the port of Newark and shipped overseas to Asia, Africa or South America, where they are re-sold.

Monmouth County has always had car thefts, but this year's spike has been massive: Monmouth County had 63 car thefts in the first quarter of 2021, and 129 car thefts the first quarter of 2022, said Sheriff Golden.

In recent months, car thieves have also become more brazen: Just last week in Tinton Falls, two young men tried to steal a car running in a driveway while the owners and their toddler sat inside. This past Saturday, a car was stolen from outside a Shrewsbury nail salon.

So far this year, 158 cars have been stolen from throughout Monmouth County — from towns like Middletown, Rumson, Holmdel, Manalapan, Marlboro, Spring Lake and more. More cars have been stolen from Marlboro Township than any other town in the state so far this year.

High-end car thefts have increased 110 percent, said the sheriff.

Some Republican lawmakers want to bring back cash bail for car theft

A draft of Flynn/Scharfenberger's proposed bill has not been published yet. However, their bill will also bring back the system of cash bail for car thieves: In 2017, then Gov. Chris Christie signed NJ bail reform into law, under pressure from both parties. This law eliminated cash bail for many crimes in the state, under the argument that innocent people were being held in jail for days, simply because they could not pay bail.

However, many New Jersey police officers have come to criticize bail reform, saying that people they arrest for stealing a car or breaking into a home are often let out of jail that very same day.

Sometimes, those people go on to commit additional crimes in the following days or weeks, said Golden.

"The process of catch and release must end," said the sheriff. "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."

"There are offenders who are arrested multiple times only to be released right back onto the streets," he added. “It's a failed system that must be addressed and fixed."

A Middletown resident, Robert Pisani, who had his Range Rovers stolen twice out of his driveway this spring, also spoke at the press conference.

He said there were "zero consequences" for the men who took the cars both times, and warned that the criminals could return to the streets within days of arrest and steal again.

"This is going to escalate further and further and further," Pisani said, according to NJ 101.5.

Five parts to the proposed auto theft bill:

The bill from Flynn, Scharfenberger and backed by Sheriff Golden has five points they are calling on Gov. Murphy to sign into law:

1. A stepped-up scale of mandatory bail and sentencing for re-offenders, similar to a three strikes policy.

2. A mandatory hold of re-offending juveniles who should receive mandatory education and counseling.

3. Increased mandatory penalties for criminal rings or enterprises that employee juveniles as mules in the commission of the crime.

4. Increased penalties and mandatory sentencing for criminal actors using electronic GPS tracking devices.

5. Include a central transparency list of offenders and prosecutions to include publish arrests, re arrests, court outcomes and sentences.

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

Attempted Car Theft From Tinton Falls Driveway, With Child Inside (April 26)

Here is Tuesday's press conference:

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