7 Cars Burglarized In 1 Week In Westfield

WESTFIELD, NJ — Seven car burglaries, two DWI arrests, an apartment scam and more were reported in the latest Westfield Police Blotter.

Westfield Police Blotter – April 28 to May 4:

On April 29 at 9 a.m.: A resident of Somerset reported an incident of fraud involving an apartment listing scam. The victim located an apartment for rent listing on a social media platform for an apartment located in the 500 block of Carleton Road in Westfield. After contacting an unknown suspect, who he believed was a landlord, victim made a security deposit via CashApp in the amount of $1,330.00. Once the initial payment was made, the suspect requested an additional $1,000.00 rent payment. The victim then requested to view the apartment in person prior to making the additional payment. After being denied viewing the apartment in person, the victim realized that he was scammed and contacted the police department.

On April 30 at 1:01 a.m.: A resident in the 100 block of Cacciola Place reports a burglary to their vehicle that resulted in a theft of property. The resident states that someone entered their parked vehicle overnight and stole the victim’s property from inside the vehicle. The victim reports items valuing around $550 were in the vehicle at the time of burglary and were stolen. The resident’s vehicle had no signs of damage and was unlocked at the time of the theft.

On April 30 at 2:44 p.m.: A business owner of a business establishment located in the 200 block of Lenox Avenue reported an incident of identity theft and fraud. According to the owner, someone is using his identity to solicit payments from his clients. At the time of this investigation, there was no monetary loss resulting from this fraudulent activity.

On April 30 at 9 p.m.: A resident reported that somoene burglarized her vehicle while it was parked on the street in the 100 block of Cacciola Place. There were no items taken from the vehicle, nor was there any damage to the vehicle.

On April 30 at 10:55 p.m.: A resident of the 1500 block of Pinegrove Avenue reported that three unknown suspects made entry to a vehicle that was parked and unlocked in their driveway. The incident was captured on a Ring camera. No items of value were taken.

On April 30 at 11:31 p.m.: A resident of the 1500 block of Rahway Avenue reported that unknown suspects entered a vehicle parked in their driveway. The suspects appear to be a black male, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black face mask, gray jeans, and gray and white sneakers as well as an unknown race male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue pants, white sneakers, wearing dark colored gloves.

On May 1 at 1:16 a.m.: A resident of the 600 block of Stirling Place reported a suspicious incident that was captured on their home surveillance equipment. The resident stated that in the early morning hours unknown persons are recorded walking past their property and one person is seen entering their driveway. The recording shows the person peering into the resident's vehicle which is parked in the driveway. This incident is apparently related to ongoing motor vehicle burglaries in the area.

On May 1 at 1:21 a.m.: A resident of the 100 block of Cacciola Place reported a burglary to their vehicle that resulted in a theft of property. The resident states that unknown actor(s) entered their parked vehicle overnight and stole around $100 which was in the vehicle at the time of theft. The resident’s vehicle had no signs of damage and appears it was unlocked at the time of the theft.

On May 1 at 1:30 a.m.: A resident of the 300 block of Temple Place reported that three unknown suspects entered their vehicle and rummaged through it. Nothing was taken from the vehicle; however, the incident was caught on a surveillance camera affixed to the victim's residence.

On May 1 at 9:38 p.m.: Justo Torrez, 33, of Linden, was placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated, pursuant to a motor vehicle stop in the area of East Broad Street and Hampton Court. Torrez was taken to Westfield Police Department where he was processed and released with a future court appearance.

On May 3 at 9:53 p.m.: A resident of the 100 block of Livingston Street reported a motor vehicle burglary. Specifically, the resident reported that her personal vehicle was burglarized while parked in front of her residence. The victim suffered a total monetary loss of around $1,040 as a result of this incident.

On May 4 at 12:47 a.m.: Dagoberto Flores-Ramirez, 36, of Linden, was arrested by Westfield Police Department personnel for driving while intoxicated pursuant to a motor vehicle stop in the area of Springfield Avenue and Cardinal Drive. Flores-Ramirez was subsequently released from police custody to a sober adult after processing.

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