Suspect Still At Large, Guns Missing In State Police SUV Theft

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The suspect who earlier this week stole a New Jersey state trooper's unmarked patrol car from the driveway of his home in North Brunswick remains on the loose, State Police told Patch Wednesday. The stolen SUV was recovered; it sustained damage consistent with hitting something, but the two State Police-issued firearms the trooper kept inside the car remain missing.

On the day of the theft, Sunday, Dec. 17, the suspect went on a day-long crime spree, and two Woodbridge locations were involved: The Woodbridge Center Mall and a Colonia gas station.

The unmarked State Police SUV was stolen out of the trooper's driveway in North Brunswick Sunday morning. The trooper reported it missing at 9:39 a.m. Sunday, but police think it was taken several hours earlier. The troop car contained several uniforms, two department-issued weapons and other issued equipment.

At 7:19 a.m. Sunday, the SUV was seen at the Speedway Gas Station at 1215 Saint Georges Avenue in Colonia, Woodbridge police said. It left without paying. Then at 7:30 a.m., the SUV stopped a cab at the Woodbridge Center Mall in Woodbridge and stole cash from the driver. No weapons were brandished during any of the incidents.

Earlier that Sunday, a truck driver said he was pulled over by the SUV on the New Jersey Turnpike in South Brunswick at 6:50 a.m. and robbed by the driver.

When asked, State Police said no description of the suspect was available. The SUV was a white, unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe and it was recovered in North Brunswick, not far from the home it was stolen from.

Image of Colonia Speedway via Google Earth