Police: Members of Brooklyn-Based Shoplifting Crew Arrested in Springfield

Springfield police arrested two women allegedly belonging to a shoplifting ring from Brooklyn that had targeted a number of New Jersey towns this week.

According to a Springfield Police report, shortly before 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, a manager of the CVS on Morris Ave. reportedly caught 36-year-old Torral Scott and 20-year-old Ebony Taylor while they attempted to shoplift.

Scott and Taylor, both of Brooklyn, NY, reportedly fled the store and ran into the parking garage of a nearby senior citizens complex.

Police say the pair left behind a booster bag—a bag lined with metal foil to nullify sensor alarms and facilitate theft—at the pharmarcy.

Springfield police, assisted by the Millburn officers and the Union County Sherrif's K-9 unit, reportedly found Scott and Taylor hiding amid parked cars near the Millburn border later that afternoon.

Subsequent investigation led police to say the suspects were professional shoplifters. Police believe other members of the theft crew were waiting in a car parked near the store and probably fled the area when police arrived at the CVS.

Scott has arrests and convictions for shoplifting and thefts in six states, and was found to have 5 active warrants for her arrest from other New Jersey towns for failing to make court appearances.

No actual shoplifting was committed due to the store manager confronting the suspects. Both suspects were charged with "Possession of an Anti-Shoplifting Countermeasure Device" for the having the booster bag.

Scott's bail was set at $5,750 and she was turned over to the Carteret Police on their active warrants. Taylor was released in her own recognizance. Their court date in Springfield Municipal Court was set for May 10.