Car thieves target Central Jersey, police say

TEWKSBURY — Police released home surveillance video of what could be one of several attempted thefts of unlocked cars in Central Jersey.

The video showed two people each entering vehicles parked in a driveway on Fox Hill Road near Hollow Brook Road in Tewksbury around 4:15 a.m. on Jan. 15. One suspect is already sitting in a Mercedes SUV as the video clip starts, and another is running towards a white SUV parked next to it. The suspect in the Mercedes exits the vehicle and appears to be carrying something as he walks away. After a few moments, the suspect in the white SUV quickly gets out and runs off.

Police said that the pair were scared off by a police officer on routine patrol and took off in a white Jaguar XJ which had been reported stolen from Woodbridge. The officer briefly pursued the car before they sped too far ahead, according to police.

Police believe the same two suspects, whom they said were wearing masks, were involved in similar incidents in the Blossom Hill area of Clinton Township.

A resident on Rockaway Road reported subjects around their home with flashlights the same night the video was taken.

"The common denominator in these incidents is that the vehicles were left unlocked. We remind all to please remove your keys/fobs from your cars and lock your doors every night," police wrote in the post on their Facebook page.

Police asked anyone with information about these recent incidents to call them at 908-439-3477.

Last October, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office told NorthJersey.com a crime ring was stealing expensive vehicles from residents around the New York area, targeting cars left in driveway unlocked.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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