Mostly Cloudy 72°
News
DAYTIME DRAMA: Firefighters Help Paramus PD Pluck Stolen Car Suspect From Roof Off Route 17 DAYTIME DRAMA: Firefighters Help Paramus PD Pluck Stolen Car Suspect From Roof Off Route 17
Daytime Drama: Firefighters Help Paramus PD Pluck Stolen Car Suspect From Roof Off Route 17 A dramatic chase played out along Route 17 Thursday afternoon as Paramus police nabbed two suspected car thieves, one of whom borough firefighters helped them pluck from the roof of a day care center. It began when Saddle River police spotted a Range Rover that had been reported stolen out of Elmwood Park earlier in the day, Paramus Detective Capt. David LaGrone said. Hearing their alert, Paramus police waited further down southbound Route 17, then pulled behind the vehicle when it came by, the captain said. The driver tried to cut through the typical thick afternoon traffic when he spott…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Linden Thief Crashes Car Stolen Off Dealership Lot Linden Thief Crashes Car Stolen Off Dealership Lot
Linden Thief Crashes Car Stolen Off Dealership Lot A Linden man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly stealing a car from a dealership lot and crashing it last month, authorities said. Mike Kondilas, 23, broke into the Car Complex on West St. Georges Avenue on the night of Dec. 11 and stole keys to multiple vehicles before fleeing the scene in one of the dealership's cars, Linden Police Lt. Christopher Guenther said. During an investigation into a crash on Dec. 12, police identified the vehicle as a stolen black 2011 Infiniti M37, Guenther said. Kondilas was later identified as the driver and arrested on Tuesday at his home, police sai…

SHARE

by Nicole Acosta
News
Seven Youths Nabbed In Series Of Clifton Car Thefts, Multi-County Pursuit, Crash Seven Youths Nabbed In Series Of Clifton Car Thefts, Multi-County Pursuit, Crash
Seven Youths Nabbed In Series Of Clifton Car Thefts, Multi-County Pursuit, Crash A Clifton police officer dove into a moving car after the teenager who stole it bailed out during one in a series of incidents involving out-of-town car thieves -- one of whom is only 14. Six of them were captured following a pursuit and crash involving another stolen vehicle and a Clifton police car later that day, Lt. Robert Bracken said. Officers interrupted the theft of a 2017 Mazda on Chittendon Road around 3 a.m. Monday, Bracken said. The thief hopped out of the car while it was still moving, forcing an officer to dive in to keep it from damaging nearby property, he said. The teen a…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
4 Hospitalized After Crashing In Englewood While Chasing Stolen Car 4 Hospitalized After Crashing In Englewood While Chasing Stolen Car
4 Hospitalized After Crashing In Englewood While Chasing Stolen Car Four people were hospitalized after they crashed in Englewood while chasing a family member's car that had been stolen right before their eyes, authorities said. The group was leaving a family member's home in Englewood Cliffs around 1 a.m. Sunday when they witnessed the theft of the Mercedes, which had been left running to warm it up, Englewood Detective Lt. Fred Pulice said. Upvinder Singh, 53, of Edison had three passengers in his Hyundai Sonata when he gave chase, Pulice said. The Sonata collided with another vehicle a short time later at the intersection of East Palisade Avenue and Jo…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
6 Thieves Targeted Luxury Cars, Led Police Pursuits Across NJ: AG Charges In Indictment 6 Thieves Targeted Luxury Cars, Led Police Pursuits Across NJ: AG Charges In Indictment
6 Thieves Targeted Luxury Cars, Led Police Pursuits Across NJ: AG Charges In Indictment Six members of a luxury car theft ring that targeted dealerships and high-end cars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars are named in an indictment filed by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.  The defendants from Newark, East Orange and Blackwood arrested in "Operation Dealer No Deal" targeted dealerships in Essex, Hudson, Bergen, and Union and took key fobs to steal the luxury vehicles off the lots, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck today said. The defendants (listed below) were charged in connection with thefts of 22 vehicles valued at over $787,000 …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Police Helicopter Helps Nab Thieves In Stolen Bergen County Car: Newark Authorities Police Helicopter Helps Nab Thieves In Stolen Bergen County Car: Newark Authorities
Police Helicopter Helps Nab Thieves In Stolen Bergen County Car: Newark Authorities A Newark police helicopter helped track a pair of car thieves in an SUV stolen out of Bergen County, authorities said. The copter spotted a gray Alfa Romeo SUV stolen out of Closter speeding near 16th Avenue and South 13th Street around 9:30 p.m. Friday, city police said in a release. The car was later seen parked in a driveway at North 6th Street and 12th Avenue. Upon becoming aware of police presence, Rasheed Mells, 23, the driver, got out of the car and ran, police said. He was apprehended at North 11th Street. Newark Police Director Brian A. O’Hara, who was in the area at the time appr…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Thief Steals Newark Police Car Thief Steals Newark Police Car
Thief Steals Newark Police Car A thief who stole a marked Newark police car Thursday was captured a short time later in Nutley, authorities said. Authorities followed the vehicle on GPS after it was stolen at a shopping center on McCarter Highway (Route 21). At one point it was pegged near the Belleville Turnpike bridge from North Arlington, said police who were monitoring the incident. The vehicle then headed north on Route 21 before it somehow became disabled on the highway, they said. Nutley police spotted the car and grabbed the suspect, who was taken to Newark police headquarters. No damages were reported. CHECK…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
'She Wasn't A Bad Kid': Mom Of 15-Year-Old Killed In Double Fatal Stolen Car Crash Speaks Out 'She Wasn't A Bad Kid': Mom Of 15-Year-Old Killed In Double Fatal Stolen Car Crash Speaks Out
'She Wasn't A Bad Kid': Mom Of 15-Year-Old Killed In Double Fatal Stolen Car Crash Speaks Out Majia Horner wasn't a bad kid, her mom Jennifer Horner says: "She just made a bad choice." The 15-year-old Newark girl was driving a stolen Jeep that crossed a double-yellow line and struck a westbound Acura RDX in Princeton earlier this month, according to her mom and local police. Majia and the other driver, Jodi Marcou, 61, of the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick, were both pronounced dead at the scene. A 14-year-old passenger in the Jeep was hospitalized with serious injuries, police and the teen's mom said. Horner says she's heartbroken that her daughter took two lives. J…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Ski Mask Clad Men Busted In Montclair Burglaries, Police Say Ski Mask Clad Men Busted In Montclair Burglaries, Police Say
Ski Mask Clad Men Busted In Montclair Burglaries, Police Say Two men were arrested in connection with a restaurant burglary in Montclair and seven additional car thefts, authorities said. Jorge Dalmaumartinez, 18, of West Orange, and Joseph Azofeifa, 19, of Montclair, were seen wearing ski masks and peering into cars in the parking lot of Faubourg Restaurant on Thursday around 6 a.m., according to Montclair Police Sgt. Terrence Turner. Officers were flagged down by a worker at the Bloomfield Avenue restaurant, who said he had just arrived at work when he saw the men wearing masks inside the establishment, Turner said. When officers arrived…

SHARE

by Nicole Acosta
News
Fingerprints Lead To Charges Against Adult, Juveniles In PalPark Vehicle Theft Fingerprints Lead To Charges Against Adult, Juveniles In PalPark Vehicle Theft
Fingerprints Lead To Charges Against Adult, Juveniles In PalPark Vehicle Theft A Newark man was charged with stealing a Mercedes Benz from a Palisades Park driveway thanks to a fingerprint match, authorities said. Raymond Branch, 19, and two juveniles were involved in the July 24 theft, Detective Sgt. Alex Monteleone said. The owner told police his GPS tracked the Mercedes to Newark, where city police found the vehicle and had it processed for fingerprints, Monteleone said. The prints matched Branch's as well as those of the two juveniles, all of whom have criminal histories, the sergeant said. South Orange police notified their Palisades Park colleagues after they …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Car Thief Admits Selling Stolen Vehicles On Craigslist, Offerup NJ Car Thief Admits Selling Stolen Vehicles On Craigslist, Offerup
NJ Car Thief Admits Selling Stolen Vehicles On Craigslist, Offerup A Belleville man told a federal judge on Thursday that he advertised vehicles for sale on Craigslist and Offerup, then went out and stole them. Eric Morgan, 34, said he photographed particular vehicles and attached a GPS tracker to develop the owner’s “pattern-of-life,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. “The target vehicle was then listed for sale on an internet-based marketplace,” Honig said. “Potential purchasers of the target vehicles responded to listings and scheduled in-person meetings to purchase the vehicles. “Shortly before the scheduled meeting times, the targeted vehic…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police: Car Thief Drives Wrong Way On Route 3 Police: Car Thief Drives Wrong Way On Route 3
Police: Car Thief Drives Wrong Way On Route 3 A car thief drove the wrong way on Route 3 before police caught him in Lyndhurst, authorities said. East Rutherford police broke off a pursuit when Christian Diaz, 34, Newark drove the Ford SUV west in the eastbound lanes of Route 3 just after midnight Saturday. Hearing their alert, Lyndhurst Sgt. Richard Jasinski began chasing the vehicle after Diaz drove the wrong way through the highway entrance, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. The pursuit continued at high speed through the township, with Diaz ignoring lights and signs, Auteri said. Officer Matthew Dudek and Anthony Giaquinto joine…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco