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A flood of calls came in mostly from the west side of town last Friday night, Detective Lt. Kevin Van Saders said.
"Every vehicle burglarized was left unlocked," he said.
A previous overnight traffic stop by Officer Przemyslaw Boinski and Sgt. George Herrero the day before aroused police suspicions.
Before long, Detective Derek Mattesich had linked two suspects and their car -- with help from Nutley police -- to the scenes of the vehicle burglaries, Van Saders said.
New Milford police, in turn, served 20-year-old Dashawn Bowens of Jersey City with a criminal complaint -- charging him with 16 burglary counts -- at the Essex County Jail, where he was being held on an unrelated charge, the lieutenant said.
Records show Bowens was charged earlier this year with breaking into no fewer than 10 cars in Belleville.
The driver, 23-year-old Natasha Berk of East Brunswick, surrendered to police on Wednesday and was charged with conspiracy, he said.
She was then sent to the Bergen County Jail to await a detention hearing.
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