Parsippany Neighbors Push For Tougher Penalties Amid Home Break-Ins, Car Thefts

PARSIPPANY, NJ — As the state has seen a surge in vehicle thefts, and authorities say burglars are breaking into homes to look for car keys, a growing neighborhood watch group in Parsippany is asking lawmakers to take more action.

Parsippany Neighborhood Watch members drafted a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy that they are encouraging residents to sign and send, and also hoping people in nearby towns might also participate. Their letter expresses a “deep concern” regarding the state’s bail system, and urges Murphy to consider implementing stronger penalties for people committing these types of crimes.

“Criminals are not only stealing our catalytic converters and cars on a regular basis; they
are terrorizing us by also breaking and entering our homes, oftentimes while residents are present,” the letter states. "It is disheartening to witness a system that is not adequately deterring offenders."

Karen Wenz, a co-founder of the Parsippany Neighborhood Watch, went to the Township Council last summer to express her concerns after a number of break-ins around her street.

"It was the amount of homes that were hit at one time, so close to my home, that made me overly nervous," she said.

Since founding last summer, the group (PNW for short) has been slowly growing as members develop a framework for meetings and decide what they want to accomplish.

“It’s going to take a village to get things done and to have change,” Wenz said, also noting that residents have seen their home and auto insurance go up because of the crime spike. That is also mentioned in the Parsippany Neighborhood Watch's suggested letter to the governor, which is embedded and linked below:

A collaborative effort

Neighborhood Watch members have been sharing home security tips, and also meeting with Parsippany Police and the mayor about their worries. They do not act as vigilantes against suspected criminals, but rather keep a lookout for anything suspicious as they are walking or driving around and communicate with each other and the police.

“It’s easy to have a false sense of security, because we do live in such a great town,” said Cassara Grasso, another co-founder of the PNW. “And when I was growing up here, we left all of our doors open, our cars unlocked. We didn’t really think about it.”

But these days, Wenz and Grasso said they are being extra observant of what goes on around them. Both said it has been important for them to meet neighbors and other residents, and build a community of people who can look out for one another, as the group grows.

“I think nowadays a lot of people kind of come and go, and it's easy to not know who your neighbors are,” Grasso said. “And it's more just about creating those relationships with people. You don't have to be best friends, but at least you have their contact information, and you can reach out if you need to.”

Community Relations Officer Remo D’Alessandro serves as a link between the Neighborhood Watch and Parsippany Police, and helped the group get started before letting the members take charge. He and Chief Richard Pantina said it has been valuable to have citizens looking out for the community.

“The police can’t be everywhere, we can’t be on every street. So it helps when the public is our eyes and ears as well,” D’Alessandro said.

Pantina noted that there was a bigger neighborhood watch back in the 1990s, but added that this “is the first time in a while we’ve really had people committing to it.”

Pantina said that car thefts and stolen catalytic converters have been “a nationwide problem” for communities, and that Parsippany Police have re-allocated resources and changed patrolling patterns in response to local crimes.

“We’ve been hiring more officers, which leads to more visibility and more people out on the road,” said Pantina, noting that the number of these specific crimes did decrease last year, as noted in the table below.

Crime stats as reported by Parsippany PD:

Pantina said criminals have been also re-adapting when police change their tactics, so officers have to remain vigilant. He noted that more minors seem to be involved in crimes, as Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll noted earlier this year.

Officials said criminal groups use "drop cars" in communities including Parsippany to bring multiple people to a neighborhood at once, where they look for unlocked doors and target luxury brand vehicles, Carroll said earlier this year.

Carroll added that networks operating in the county use minors to break into cars and homes, knowing that criminal penalties are not as strict for underage defendants.

Residents push for tougher penalties

As for the bail reform system, Pantina noted, “it is a problem, but it’s not the only problem.”

In 2017, New Jersey essentially eliminated the cash bail option – where defendants pay to be released from jail after being arrested, then reimbursed when they appear in court – in favor of a risk-based system, where judges consider the public safety risk and other factors to decide whether to detain or release a defendant before trial. This means that people facing lesser crimes are often not held in custody for long.

“You’re hoping that somebody returns for a court date to face a penalty,” Pantina said. “And what we find is that people who commit these crimes don’t really care about coming back.”

Since 2017, legislators have made some changes to criminal penalties for repeat offenders and auto theft networks which . There are several other pieces of legislation working their ways through the Statehouse, which the Parsippany Neighborhood Watch is urging Murphy to support in their letter.

This includes NJ Senate Bills 892 and 833, which propose stricter penalties for residential and armed burglaries; and Senate Bill 2819, which would eliminate the presumption of pretrial release for defendants charged with certain motor vehicle offenses.

For residents interested in getting more involved in the Parsippany Neighborhood Watch, the group's next meeting is Wednesday, April 10 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library (see the flyer at the top of this article).

Grasso and Wenz said they are hopeful more township residents will contact Gov. Murphy, or other legislators like U.S. Representative Mikie Sherill. But beyond that, they are seeking to connect with other towns who may want to band together and look out for their community.

"We're encouraging the town as a community to send as many as they can," Wenz said. "But it would be, I think, a stronger message if we could come together as one big community, as Morris County."

Tips for keeping your home safe

Both the chief and Officer D’Alessandro mentioned ways that homeowners and renters can keep their vehicles and homes secure: Keep the exterior of the home well-lit, take all car keys and valuables inside the house, lock your car door, don’t keep your vehicle running in the driveway, and make sure all doors and windows are secured.

“Make yourself a harder target,” D’Alessandro noted. “But in addition to that, taking some time to really evaluate your surroundings, you know, and being aware of your surroundings as well.”

D'Alessandro also encouraged people to reach out to police if they see something suspicious, and provide as much detailed information as possible about what they saw.

Residents can see how to make their homes safer with the Home Security Self Assessment packet, which Mayor James Barberio and Chief Pantina put out last year. This has a number of tips for home security, and general information about crime prevention through environmental design.

Parsippany Police also have a House Watch program for residents who are leaving town, so officers can keep an eye on their property for any illegal activities. You can find the form for that program here.

For those interested in an in-person home assessment, call 973-263-4383 or email Officer D'Alessandro at socialmedia@parpolice.com.