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Officer Kevin McCombs was patrolling the Rio Vista community in response to a recent surge in high-end auto thefts when he spotted an unoccupied 2017 Benz parked in the middle of Brams Hill Drive shortly before 6 a.m. Wednesday, Capt. Guido Bussinelli said.
A computer check showed found that it had been stolen on Long Island, he said.
As McCombs approached the vehicle, two men came running, got into it and tried to drive off, the captain said.
The only problem: The Benz wouldn’t start.
Both men immediately bailed out and ran, Bussinelli said.
McCombs, Officer David Sinisi and Sgt. Richard Albro quickly grabbed one suspect, identified as Kalil Clay, 19, of Brooklyn.
A perimeter was then created with help from a New Jersey State Police chopper, the Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit and police from Oakland, Ramsey and Upper Saddle River.
Mahwah police and the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management also sent up their drones.
The search was coordinated by Detective Lt. Kevin Hebert, Lt. Michael Blondin and Lt. Keith Iorio and centered on backyards and the woods between Routes 202 and 287.
Reverse 911 calls also went out to area residents – and police immediately began getting tips. One resident reported the second suspect trying to borrow a cellphone to make a call, Bussinelli said.
The search continued for five hours before Detective Christopher Fasulo and Officer Robert Birney finally spotted him and gave chase, the captain said.
The suspect – identified as Eric B. Torres, 22, of Staten Island -- was flushed out and surrounded by a team that included Fasulo, Birney, Blondin, Sgt. Rosario Zito and Officers William Hunt, Officers Jason Stepp, Luke Rice, Michael Dombroski and John Rodriguez.
Clay and Torres had used the stolen Mercedes to commit car burglaries in Mahwah, Oakland and Franklin Lakes, Bussinelli said.
Torres – who was wanted on a fugitive warrant of Monroe County, PA -- also burglarized a Mahwah residence while trying to elude police on Wednesday, the captain said.
Detectives collected home security images of the crimes in progress. Evidence also included vehicle key fobs, driver’s licenses, credit cards, purses, jewelry, gift cards and a bag of coins, Bussinelli said.
Clay and Torres remained held Thursday in the Bergen County Jail, charged with several counts each of burglary, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and criminal attempt.
Charges were also drawn up against a third defendant who remained at large Thursday, Bussinelli said, without identifying him.
Northwest Bergen County continues to be plagued by vehicle thefts and burglaries that often involve groups from Essex and Union counties and sometimes New York City.
The thieves often arrive in a single vehicle, then fan out through neighborhood driveways testing door handles. If a vehicle is locked, they move on to the next.
Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki asked area residents to contact township police immediately if they saw something or have security camera images that could help. Mahwah PD: (201) 529-1000
Wysocki, who's a retired township police officer, also urged owners to always lock their vehicles and take their keys or fobs no matter where they park or for how long.
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