Montclair Sees Wave Of Burglaries, Car Crimes: Police

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair saw a wave of burglaries and vehicle-related crimes last week, authorities reported Wednesday.

The Montclair Police Department released the following details about each incident:

July 23 (Orange Road) – Officers responded to a burglary in progress at an Orange Road residence. After confronting the homeowner, the suspect fled. Responding officers located the fleeing suspect and placed him under arrest. The 20-year-old Montclair resident was charged with criminal attempt burglary, police said.

July 23 (Highland Avenue) – A resident reported that he was in bed and received an alert that there was movement in his driveway. He viewed surveillance footage and saw an unknown male attempting to enter his 2022 BMW X2. The suspect was unsuccessful and ran back to an awaiting dark-colored sedan. Responding officers observed a dark-coolored Honda Accord travelling south on Highland Avenue and then east on Claremont Avenue at a high rate of speed. The vehicle eluded officers and was last seen south on Mount Prospect in Verona, police said.

July 24 (High Street) – A victim reported that his wallet was stolen from his work truck while parked on High Street. He stated that several of his credit cards were used at a Walgreens in Garfield and a 7-Eleven in Lodi, police said.

July 27 (Upper Mountain Avenue) – A resident said he was carrying groceries from his vehicle into his house when he saw an unknown man walking away from his vehicle carrying his green satchel. The suspect then entered a 2017 black Mercedes Benz wagon, which was reported stolen out of Metuchen, and fled north on Upper Mountain Avenue, police said.

July 27 (North Mountain Avenue) – A victim reported that she was leaving Anderson Park and saw the front passenger side window on her vehicle was shattered. Witnesses reported that they saw a man with a bat breaking the window in an attempt to get a purse that was left inside of the car. The suspect then fled to an awaiting Ford Mustang, police said.

July 28 (Clinton Avenue) – A resident who was away from home at the time told officers that his video surveillance system showed three men enter his residence a few days prior. The suspects apparently entered the home through a first-floor window. Once inside, they ransacked several rooms. Proceeds from the burglary are currently unknown. The suspects may have been looking for keys to a Range Rover that was parked in the driveway, police said.

July 29 (Harvard Street) – A resident said he woke up to find a first-floor window open. He then found that his white BMW X5 had been stolen from the driveway. The theft took place between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m., police said.

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