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Their end came in a quick succession of arrests that followed an operation led by New Jersey State Police -- and involving dozens of local police departments -- that was dubbed “Operation Cat Burglar.”
Crew members in January began snatching work vans and trucks from owners in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Union, Hudson, Morris, and Middlesex counties, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.
They stored the stolen vehicles in a lot in North Bergen and brought them to scrapyards in Jersey City and Newark after chopping, he said.
The thieves’ primary targets were catalytic converters.
Installed in almost all gasoline cars and trucks sold in the United States since 1975, the highly-prized emission-control devices help remove nitrogen oxide and other potentially toxic pollutants from a vehicle’s exhaust while reducing engine noise.
Their honeycomb interiors are coated with a trio of precious metals -- rhodium, palladium and platinum – that have become black market prizes.
They fetch insane prices: Rhodium alone can sell for upwards of $20,000 an ounce, over 10 times more than gold.
For thieves, it could mean several hundred dollars a pop.
For victims, it could mean a replacement bill of up to $2,000.
Among those who ended up getting their vehicles back thanks to the NJSP investigation was a Bergen County funeral director whose work pickup truck – sporting a brand-new snow plow – was taken from his business.
SEE: NJ Thieves Snatching Snow Plows At Alarming Rate, Funeral Director Among Victims
After removing the catalytic converters, the thieves sold the parts or changed vehicle identification numbers (VIN) and used the vans and trucks to commit other crimes, Grewal said.
They also stole license plates, vehicle titles and tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, the attorney general said.
That ended with “Operation Cat Burglar.”
In February, detectives from the NJSP Motor Vehicle Crimes North Unit, along with members of the State Police K-9 Unit and T.E.A.M.S. Unit, raided an East Orange apartment.
They arrested the two men who live there, George Milton, 60, and Donald Williams, 64, and recovered a stolen vehicle, stolen tools and equipment, 31 vehicle titles, stolen license plates, and 16 VIN plates, Grewal said.
Soon after, Union Township police captured David Wilson, 54, of Bloomfield, and Jameer Smith, 21, of Newark after chasing down their BMW X5, the attorney general said.
Another suspect, Gary Herring, 42, of Irvington was nabbed as he left his home on 21st Street in Irvington.
The final defendant, Timothy Pereira, 31, of Guttenberg, turned himself in to detectives, Grewal said.
Various charges include receiving stolen property, theft, burglary, fencing, conspiracy, eluding, resisting arrest, drug possession and more.
“Given the extreme financial hardship and related difficulties that so many of our residents have experienced over the past 12 months, it was critical that we act quickly to stop this criminal enterprise targeting individuals’ work vehicles and trucks,” Grewal said.
The departments and agencies that joined the New Jersey State Police Motor Vehicle Crimes North Unit in “Operation Cat Burglar” include:
- East Orange Police,
- Garfield Police,
- Paramus Police,
- Passaic Police,
- Clifton Police,
- Paterson Police,
- North Bergen Police,
- Newark Police,
- Union City Police,
- Jersey City Police,
- West New York Police,
- River Vale Police,
- Morris Township Police,
- Warren Township,
- Bernards Township Police,
- Montville Police,
- Elizabeth Police,
- West Orange Police,
- Bloomfield Police,
- Nutley Police,
- Woodland Park Police,
- Belleville Police,
- Paterson Police,
- Middletown Police,
- Westfield Police,
- Guttenberg Police.
Also participating were the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, National Insurance Crime Bureau and LoJack.
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