Burglars Break Into Homes To Steal Keys, Cars In Westfield: Police

WESTFIELD, NJ — More home burglaries that lead to the thefts of cars are being reported in Westfield, according to the latest police blotter.

There were multiple attempted home burglaries and successful home burglaries where the suspects break in to steal car keys and then the car.

Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro previously sent out an alert on Friday warning residents of the crimes. Read More: Rise In Burglaries With Sleeping Residents Inside, Westfield Cops Warn

The latest Westfield Police Blotter from July 30 to Aug. 5 lists a number of home burglaries:

On July 31 at 9:39 a.m.: A resident of the 100 block of Lincoln Road reported that during the morning hours on July 26, two unknown men tried to gain access to the home by pulling on the front and side door handles of the home. They were unable to get inside the home.

On July 31 at 6:13 p.m.: A resident on the 1300 block of Overhill Street reported they arrived home to find their back window damaged. It appears that someone pried the window open and entered the home through the first-floor window. Upon further inspection, multiple rooms on the second floor appeared rummaged through, with closets and drawers ransacked. The actor(s) left the premise before the family's return.

On July 30 at 4:49 a.m.: A resident of the 500 block of Alden Avenue reports their residence being burglarized in the early morning hours of July 30. As an aftereffect of the unlawful entry, keys to a vehicle were taken from the home's interior which later resulted in the theft of a motor vehicle.

On Aug. 4 at 5:40 a.m.: A resident of the 0-100 block of Tamaques Way reports that sometime during the early morning hours of Aug. 4 someone burglarized his home and took several items including the key fob to his vehicle which was parked outside the home. The vehicle was subsequently taken after the suspect(s) left the home with the key fob. The victim entered his kitchen after getting out of bed and found all of his kitchen cabinets open and rummaged through. After further inspection of his home, the victim found the back door of his home which leads into the kitchen to be standing open. The victim's wallet, EZ-Pass and several forms of identification along with baseball equipment were reported to be inside the stolen vehicle before being taken.

On Aug. 4 at 7:13 a.m.: A resident reported a burglary to his home and theft of two vehicles. According to the resident on Aug. 4 between 1:30 a.m. and 7 a.m., someone forcefully gained entry to his home by prying open a dining room window. Once inside the home, actor(s) stole the keys to the resident's vehicles. Stolen keys were then used to steal two vehicles which were parked in the driveway. The stolen vehicles are described as a 2023 Range Rover and 2021 BMW X7, total approximate value of $252,000.

Other police blotter items including thefts of catalytic converters and fraud were also reported:

On July 30 at 1:03 a.m.: A resident from Kent Place reports someone, without authorization, accessed their bank accounts and made transactions within. At this time, the victim suffered no monetary loss.

On July 30 at 4:49 a.m.: In the early morning hours of July 30, a running, unoccupied, 2015 Hyundai Sonata was found on the 500 block of Alden Avenue. A further investigation found this vehicle was reported stolen out of the City of Newark hours earlier. It was later towed by Rob's Towing and the owner was notified.

On Aug. 1 at 8 a.m.: A resident of the 500 block of Carleton Road reports a theft of his vehicle's catalytic converter. The victim's vehicle was parked on the roadway in front of his home during the overnight hours between July 31 and Aug. 1. On the morning of Aug. 1 the victim noticed the catalytic converter on his vehicle was cut out and taken. The converter is valued at around $1,000.

On Aug. 1 at 8 a.m.: A resident of the 100 block of Cacciola Place reports the theft of a catalytic converter from her vehicle. The victim's vehicle was parked outside of her home during the overnight hours between July 31 and Aug. 1. The catalytic converter was found to be missing in the morning of Aug. 1. The approximate value of the converter is $900.

On Aug. 2 at 1:30 a.m.: A 44-year-old man from Newark was arrested for driving while intoxicated pursuant to a 911 call of a suspicious vehicle in the area of Elm Street and East Broad Street. He was processed and released with a mandatory Westfield Municipal Court date.

On Aug. 2 at 8 a.m.: A resident of the 500 block of Cumberland Street reports that two bicycles were taken from his front porch between Aug. 1 and Aug. 2. The bicycles are described as a blue "Nishiki" valued at around $400 and a blue "Schwinn" later model valued at around $50.

On Aug. 2 at 12:30 p.m.: A resident of the 100 block of Stanmore Place reported being the victim of fraud. The resident states they clicked a pop-up ad on their computer which locked their screen. Upon calling a helpline on the locked screen, an operator told them their bank accounts were hacked and to send a check to their office to reinstate this account. The resident then contacted their bank who informed them this was a scam and not to send any money.

On Aug. 2 at 12:50 p.m.: A motorist reports the theft of their vehicle's temporary registration tag from the rear of their vehicle. On Aug. 2, a motorist was making a delivery on the 900 block of Beverly Drive. After being away from her vehicle for a short time, the motorist arrived back at her vehicle and noticed the temporary registration along with the two screws used to affix it to the vehicle were taken.

On Aug. 4 at 4:15 p.m.: Jonathan Malave, 51, of Stirling was arrested on the strength of an outstanding NCIC warrant pursuant to a motor vehicle stop at Central Avenue and Washington Street. The warrant was issued by Somerset County Sheriff's Office in the amount of $26,684.90. He was placed under arrest and transported to Westfield Police Headquarters where he was processed and turned over to the Somerset County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bail.

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