Car Stolen From Rutgers Campus Lot, And 4 More Ransacked

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Someone stole a 2020 red Ford Fusion from a Rutgers campus parking lot last Wednesday, Dec. 14, Rutgers Police announced this week. Also, four cars parked in that same lot were forcibly entered that same day.

The car was parked on Lot 105 on Livingston Campus (47 Joyce Kilmer Avenue) and it was stolen sometime between 8:00 p.m. Dec. 14 and 11:51 a.m. Dec. 15, said police.

The stolen car has since been recovered in the city of New Brunswick.

Four vehicles parked in that same lot (Lot 105) were also forcibly entered and ransacked sometime between 7:00 p.m. Wednesday into Thursday.

Police have made no arrests.

Also, people tried to steal two parked cars parked on the Rutgers Newark campus this past Friday, Dec. 16, said police.

That happened between 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Friday in Lot #506, located on Essex Street, and Lot #509, located on Eagles Street.

"In both incidents, the affected vehicles were manufactured by Hyundai and involved forcible entry and tampering with the steering column, said Rutgers Police. "It has been reported through public media of a known manufacturing deficiency involving lack of immobilizer devices, which renders some Hyundai and Kia models vulnerable and prone to theft by perpetrators who are aware of this deficiency. Items of value were also determined to have been removed from the vehicles."

Car theft is up 41 percent compared to 2020, according to the most recent data released Dec. 5 by State Police.