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Uniformed officers who arrived within moments of the 2:45 a.m. call caught 21-year-old Timothy Jolls coming from another vehicle parked in a driveway up the street, Kugler told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this morning.
“This literally is a wake-up call for all of us to lock our cars at all times,” the chief said, admitting that he enabled the crime. “You never know what or who is lurking around outside and around our homes and in our streets.”
The Lanza Avenue neighbor at first noticed the interior lights of the chief’s municipal 2007 Dodge Charger on and called police after “seeing a tall person exit the car who he knew wasn’t me,” Kugler said.
Officers woke the chief, who “watched the incident unfold in the street outside my house,” as officers grabbed Jolls exiting a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, he said.
Two other cars were entered — a 1997 Infinity and a 2013 Mercedes Benz — but nothing of significant value appeared missing from any of the four vehicles, Kugler said.
” It appears miscellaneous coins and change in plain view were taken,” he told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Jolls, who Kugler said was under the influence of alcohol, was released on vehicle burglary charges, with a court date this coming Tuesday.
Saddle Brook has had an increase of car burglaries and car thefts within the last month, Kugler noted, adding that those who don’t lock their vehicles and leave valuables in the cabins instead of a locked trunk tempt bandits.
“The moral of the story here is two-fold,” he said. “Always lock your car and always be on the lookout and immediately report suspicious people and behavior.”
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