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Anthony Mendoza, 39, of East Rutherford was previously charged last month with stealing packages in New Milford and was suspected in others in that borough, as well as in Bergenfield and Wyckoff.
Released under New Jersey's 2017 bail reform law, Mendoza was on a Paterson-bound bus stopped by Rutherford Police Sgt. Jeffrey Wilkinson around noon Wednesday following another theft.
Seeing police, Mendoza climbed out an emergency window and ran, Detective Capt. Patrick Feliciano said.
Rutherford and Passaic police established a perimeter. Soon after, Rutherford Police Officer James Arnold grabbed Mendoza.
Rutherford police returned stolen property to seven separate victims “before they even knew they had been victimized,” Feliciano said.
They also charged Mendoza with seven counts of theft and resisting arrest before releasing him once again.
Their colleagues in New Milford earlier this month charged Mendoza with package thefts from 10 different addresses.
SEE: Porch Pirate Tied To More Than Dozen Thefts In New Milford, Bergenfield, Wyckoff
He’s also suspected in another package theft on July 3 in New Milford (see photos above).
Mendoza spent six months in the Bergen County Jail, beginning last September, after authorities charged him with a drug court violation for trying to cheat a drug test.
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