Man Stole Motorized Bikes In Morris Co., Caught 6 Months Later: Police

FLORHAM PARK, NJ — A man who stole multiple motorized dirk bikes from a Morris County property was caught six months later, police said.

Last April, an individual — later indentified as Denzel Johnson — stole the bikes from a secured structure behind a Florham Park home, authorities said. They had a combined value of $15,000, according to police.

The Florham Park Police Department identified Johnson quickly thanks to surveillance cameras at nearby homes and around Morris County, along with the agency's automated license plate readers, authorities said.

Over the next couple of months, Florham Park Police Det. Frank Pietropinto submitted numerous subpoenas and court orders while actively searching Johnson's known addresses. The Morris County Prosecutor's Office — the case's prosecuting authority — also requested and sought additional legal documentation.

Once all court orders and subpoenas had been served and returned to Pietropinto, he received approval Oct. 7 to issue a warrant for Johnson's arrest. Johnson's last-known home is in Morris Plains, police said.

Johnson was arrested Friday in Saddle Brook, Bergen County, on an unrelated offense, authorities said. Law enforcement then discovered the warrant and took the 28-year-old to the Morris County Correctional Facility.

The man was charged with burglary (third-degree), theft by unlawful taking (third-degree) and criminal mischief (disorderly-persons offense). He was released from jail the following day with a pending appearance in Morris County Superior Court.

"Once again, we were supported by helpful neighbors who were able to supply valuable video surveillance which gave us solid direction within an hour of the report being filed," Florham Park police wrote on the agency's Facebook page. "Second, we understand the victim’s frustration, and other victims, in how long some investigations take. We don’t like it either and we understand your frustration. But, often times legal requests, processes, and reviews take a long time, which is often out of our control."

The victim found one of their stolen items advertised for sale more than five months after the theft. Police were able to receive the stolen item for free in Pennsylvania and return it to the victim, authorities said. The seller was not a suspect and wasn't charged.