Mostly Cloudy 72°
News
Career Criminal Caught With Drugs, Theft Proceeds After Stolen Car Crash: Hasbrouck Heights PD Career Criminal Caught With Drugs, Theft Proceeds After Stolen Car Crash: Hasbrouck Heights PD
Career Criminal Caught With Drugs, Theft Proceeds After Stolen Car Crash: Hasbrouck Heights PD A convicted drug-addicted car thief with a decades-long criminal record was found with crack, heroin and the proceeds from several vehicle burglaries after he crashed a stolen car overnight, Hasbrouck Heights police said. John Petsu, 42, of West Milford failed a field sobriety test administered by Sgt. John Behr after crashing a 2019 Nissan Altima near the interchange for Routes 17 and 46, Detective Sgt. Jeffrey Werner said. The sedan had been stolen out of Hackensack, although the owner didn’t immediately know it was gone, the sergeant said. Besides the drugs, Petsu had “multiple items fr…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Second Arrest Made In Thefts Of Unlocked Luxury Vehicles From Same Cliffside Home Second Arrest Made In Thefts Of Unlocked Luxury Vehicles From Same Cliffside Home
Second Arrest Made In Thefts Of Unlocked Luxury Vehicles From Same Cliffside Home UPDATE: A career criminal who stole three high-end vehicles from the same Cliffside Park home obviously had help, said police who charged a second man in the brazen thefts. Alterek McCeary, 29, of East Orange was charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy, Deputy Police Chief Vincent Capano said. The owner not only didn't lock the BMW X7, Lamborghini Huracan or Mercedes G-Wagon: He also fell asleep after leaving the key fobs inside one of them and the garage door open. Authorities recovered all three, which initially were impounded and examined by the Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau o…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Thief Steals Pizza Delivery Car When Driver Runs Inside: Bloomfield PD Thief Steals Pizza Delivery Car When Driver Runs Inside: Bloomfield PD
Thief Steals Pizza Delivery Car When Driver Runs Inside: Bloomfield PD Police in Bloomfield are seeking the public's help locating a man who stole a pizza deliveryman's car. The Vinnie's Pizza driver left the blue Chevy Malibu unlocked and running as he went inside the Broad Street eatery, with the key fob on March 17, police said. When he returned, the vehicle was gone. The landlord provided surveillance footage of the incident/suspect. This incident is under investigation.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Pre-Dawn Prowlers From NYC Caught At Route 4 Car Dealership With Guns, Drugs: Paramus PD Pre-Dawn Prowlers From NYC Caught At Route 4 Car Dealership With Guns, Drugs: Paramus PD
Pre-Dawn Prowlers From NYC Caught At Route 4 Car Dealership With Guns, Drugs: Paramus PD The getaway driver for a pair of car thieves caught prowling a Route 4 car dealership in Paramus before dawn was carrying two guns and several heroin folds, authorities said. Officer Matthew Orefice chased down one of them while responding to a call of men with flashlights peering into vehicle on the DCH Paramus Honda lot shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday, March 24, Deputy Police Chief Robert M. Guidetti said. He was identified as Mitchell A. Pringle, 34, of Brooklyn. Officer Ryan Hayo nabbed Pringle's partner, Dramane Guitti, 25, of New York City, Ehrenberg said. He was wearing a black h…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wyckoff Porsche Thief Arrested After Crash With Ambulance In Newark: Police Wyckoff Porsche Thief Arrested After Crash With Ambulance In Newark: Police
Wyckoff Porsche Thief Arrested After Crash With Ambulance In Newark: Police A thief who stole a Porsche Cayenne out of Wyckoff was arrested after he struck an ambulance in Newark, authorities said. Tyquan Black, 18, hopped behind the wheel of the SUV, which was first spotted by state troopers on Route 280 in Essex County, New Jersey State Police said. The car was later spotted by troopers at the intersection of Lyons and Fabyan Place in Newark around  2 a.m. Sunday, March 20, New Jersey State Police Trooper Brandi Slota said. Black, of Irvington, drove into the intersection when he saw the marked troop car, hitting an ambulance that had its light an…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Residents Alert Lyndhurst Police To Would-Be Car Thieves Working Their Block, Authorities Say Residents Alert Lyndhurst Police To Would-Be Car Thieves Working Their Block, Authorities Say
Residents Alert Lyndhurst Police To Would-Be Car Thieves Working Their Block, Authorities Say Residents alerted Lyndhurst police to a convicted car thief and an accomplice who they said were scoping out vehicles in town. One homeowner spotted the pair trying the door handle on his neighbor's luxury car and another called 911 late Monday afternoon, March 14, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Officer Nolan James found the men -- identified as Kyle Newton, a 28-year-old repeat offender from Hillside, and Yahzea Wooden, 23, of East Orange -- walking on Riverside Avenue in North Arlington, Auteri said. The officer questioned them separately and got stories that didn't match, the lieute…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
GOTCHA! Trio Of Broad-Daylight Car Thieves Captured In Saddle River, With Help, Following Crash GOTCHA! Trio Of Broad-Daylight Car Thieves Captured In Saddle River, With Help, Following Crash
Gotcha! Trio Of Broad-Daylight Car Thieves Captured In Saddle River, With Help, Following Crash Three car thieves from Newark were captured thanks to a Saddle River resident who suspected something sinister, along with force-multiplying officers from neighboring towns who responded instantly, authorities said. Car thefts not only have skyrocketed recently throughout New Jersey the past few months -- they also occur during the day now, all because of new rules that prevent police pursuits. What local law enforcement officers can rely on, however, are their colleagues and their citizens. This played out in Saddle River -- an affluent suburban town off Route 17 near the New York State b…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Central Jersey Man Who Stole Running Car On Long Island Had Crack Cocaine: Authorities Central Jersey Man Who Stole Running Car On Long Island Had Crack Cocaine: Authorities
Central Jersey Man Who Stole Running Car On Long Island Had Crack Cocaine: Authorities A 31-year-old New Jersey man was busted with crack cocaine on Long Island after stealing a car that was left unlocked and running outside an area restaurant, authorities announced. Mohamed Elgendy, of Piscataway, hopped behind the wheel of a 1999 Honda left running while unlocked on a stretch of  Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park around 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13, police said. During a canvas of the area, police said that officers found the stolen Honda outside in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven on East Jericho Turnpike, leading to the arrest of Elgendy. Elgendy was taken into cu…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Sedan From NYC Driving School Not Ridgewood Car Thief's Wisest Choice Sedan From NYC Driving School Not Ridgewood Car Thief's Wisest Choice
Sedan From NYC Driving School Not Ridgewood Car Thief's Wisest Choice He could've just as well honked his horn. A would-be car thief behind the wheel of a sedan stolen from a driving school in Queens was casing neighborhoods in Ridgewood for targets when he was spotted early Wednesday, Feb. 9, authorities said. The suspect drove off after abandoning an attempt to steal a vehicle on Gilbert Street but was caught soon after. It's not like he could give anyone the slip: The Toyota Corolla was marked with large lettering from the Ferrari Driving School in Queens and had a battered front New York State license plate dangling vertically from a single screw. The…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
East Coast Luxury Car Theft Ring Smashed By PalPark Detectives East Coast Luxury Car Theft Ring Smashed By PalPark Detectives
East Coast Luxury Car Theft Ring Smashed By PalPark Detectives What at first seemed like a run-of-the-mill package theft led Palisades Park detectives to an organized theft ring that used bogus IDs to buy high-end luxury cars, authorities said. Jeon Kichul, a 43-year-old Korean national, was arrested last December after Detective David Chun identified him as the porch pirate who swiped a package containing a baseball glove from outside a resident’s home, Capt. Shawn Lee said. Kichul, who was also carrying bogus ID, was released pending further investigation, said Lee, the officer in charge of the department. Chun then learned that Jeon was "part of a …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Man Led Pursuit In Stolen Car With Sleeping Baby While Mom Was In CVS: Police NJ Man Led Pursuit In Stolen Car With Sleeping Baby While Mom Was In CVS: Police
NJ Man Led Pursuit In Stolen Car With Sleeping Baby While Mom Was In CVS: Police A 22-year-old East Orange stole a vehicle that a mom had left running with her sleeping child in the backseat while she ran into CVS on Thursday, Feb. 3, authorities said. Jaquan Shiggs hopped behind the wheel of the vehicle left running in the parking lot of CVS on Valley Street around 2:05 p.m., South Orange police said. Moments after a description of the suspect and vehicle were broadcast to South Orange and Maplewood police, a South Orange officer spotted it and attempt to pull him over — the 1-year-old child strapped into a car seat in the back, police said. The officer pursued the v…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
CRIME WAVE: Unprecedented Epidemic Of Vehicle Thefts, Burglaries Grows Alarming In North Jersey CRIME WAVE: Unprecedented Epidemic Of Vehicle Thefts, Burglaries Grows Alarming In North Jersey
Crime Wave: Unprecedented Epidemic Of Vehicle Thefts, Burglaries Grows Alarming In North Jersey Thieves are prowling North Jersey streets in unprecedented numbers, stealing unlocked vehicles or items left inside of them, authorities say. And police alone can't stem the tide. Local and county law enforcement are devoting more resources to stopping the bandits, who are often from out of the area. But they can’t be everywhere at once.  More owners need to lock their vehicles and take their key fobs, they say, or things will only get worse. Think of it this way: Imagine your unlocked vehicle is stolen, is involved in a pursuit and slams into another car. Imagine someone is killed in the…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco