Reinstate Cash Bail For Car Thefts Before Someone Gets Hurt: Middletown Mayor

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — There have been 20 cars stolen from Middletown in 2022, with seven stolen in the month of August alone, News 12 reported Wednesday. In the past three weeks, multiple luxury SUVs wanted for car thefts or home break-ins have fled from Holmdel and Middletown police, driving at speeds of over 90 and 100 MPH.

Over Labor Day weekend, a Holmdel police officer had to be hospitalized after a BMW SUV rammed into his police cruiser. Police pursued the SUV to Newark, where the suspects got out and ran off on foot.

"If we have criminals that know they won't be prosecuted, that know they're not going to spend an hour in jail, that know they're going to be released on a summons — that's a joke in my opinion and that's not law and order. That's the wild, wild West," Middletown Mayor Tony Perry told News 12 this week. “It's only a matter of time before somebody gets hurt."

"Until we address bail reform you are going to see individuals coming down into your municipality and looking for cars to steal, looking for homes to break into," continued Perry. "They have a job to do and they want to get it done because they want to be paid for the vehicles they are stealing."

In 2017, the state eliminated cash bail, and now only those accused of the most serious crimes, such as murder and sex assault (rape), can be held in jail until trial, or given a cash bail option. In New Jersey today, the majority of people accused of a crime, including car theft or burglary, are released from jail with a summons to appear in court.

That's why some, particularly in law enforcement, are calling for New Jersey to bring back cash bail: Police say the people they charge with stealing a car or breaking into a home are let out of jail that very same day, often within an hour of being arrested.

What does Middletown Mayor Perry mean "they have a job to do and they want to get it done"?

The ringleaders hire teens and young people from poor urban areas to drive into wealthy suburban towns and steal the cars. For example, in August, a 15-year-old Newark teen boy was arrested after he entered a car that had been left unlocked at the Aberdeen Stop & Shop Plaza; that teen was part of a much larger car-theft ring operating in Monmouth County, say Aberdeen Police.

The ringleaders prefer teens under 18 to steal the cars as they cannot be charged as adults, previously said Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Middletown).

The stolen cars are then driven to urban centers such as Newark and Paterson. They use certain spots to “cool off” the stolen vehicles, parking them at a hotel lot in Elizabeth or a long-term parking lot at Newark airport, for example, to makes sure the cars are not equipped with tracking devices.

If police or the car's owners do not locate the stolen car, it is then loaded onto container ships at the port of Newark and shipped overseas to Africa or South America, where they are re-sold. Or the stolen cars are fenced domestically here in the United States.

Prior: Bring Back Bail For Car Thieves, Say Monmouth County Lawmakers (May 2022)

Recent car thefts in Holmdel:

Sept. 5: Holmdel Police tried to stop a gray Porsche SUV that was suspected of being involved in attempted car thefts and home invasions. The officer attempted to stop the Porsche, but the driver took off and was last seen driving more than 90MPH on residential streets throughout the south side of town. Holmdel Police ended the chase due to the high chance of risk to the community. The Porsche was last seen traveling northbound on the Garden State Parkway.

Sept. 3: At 5:00 a.m. Holmdel Police were notified by Colts Neck Police that a black BMW SUV had been stolen from Freehold Township and had just attempted to break into a home in their town near the Highway 34 border. The BMW SUV was seen on Chardonnay Drive in Holmdel and then fled onto West Front Street in Middletown, driving over 100 MPH. The SUV fled onto Rt. 520, where it struck a marked Holmdel police car and continued to flee from the scene. The officer was injured and taken to Bayshore Medical Center. Holmdel Police chased the SUV all the way to Newark, using a device to deflate three of its tires. In Newark, the suspects got out and fled on foot, and officers eventually lost sight of them.

Aug. 25: A 1:30 a.m., a home on Palmetto Court reported a burglary in progress. Three suspects, driving a black BMW SUV with New York license plates, entered the home's garage after throwing a rock through a window. The homeowner activated an audible alarm and the suspects fled the residence. The SUV was last seen getting on the Parkway north at speeds of well over 100 MPH.

Aug. 21: At 1:15 p.m. patrols were dispatched to a home on Round Hill Road for a report of an occupied home burglary. The actors entered the home through a garage door and unsuccessfully attempted to steal a car inside the garage. One of the subjects then made their way to the kitchen portion of the home, where they were confronted by the homeowner. The accused then fled the home to a grey Dodge Durango with tinted windows that was waiting in the street. The SUV left the area at a high rate of speed, said Holmdel Police.

As NJ Car Thefts Surge, State Revises Policy To Allow Police Pursuit (April 2022)

Attempted Car Theft From Tinton Falls Driveway, With Child Inside (April 2022)