Police Note Rash of Car Break-ins

A quick scan of recent police reports points to a new crime trend.

"We have been getting hit with what seems like a rash of break-ins to vehicles," said Sgt. Joseph Levanda, who noted that most of the incidents are taking place on the eastern end of town, and the majority in municipal lots including the NJ Transit lot by SOPAC and Lot 7 next to the Rescue Squad.

Some information on suspects is available. A man seen breaking into a car parked on Prospect Street near Village Road on Sunday was spotted driving away in a silver four-door 2005 Mitsubishi, which was determined to be stolen after the license plate was checked. And a light-skinned African American man with dreadlocks between 20 and 25 was seen crouching beside a car yesterday evening; an anonymous caller reported that he then got into a dark blue two-door Lexus with temporary license plates driven by an older man—whose age was estimated at between 30 and 40.

High-end brands like Infinity, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes seem to have been targeted. Patrol is on alert, and detectives will be investigating, said Levanda.