Cops: Restaurant Worker Stole From Nearby Business

A 20-year-old Livingston man is accused of stealing a video game system from Best Buy, East Hanover Police said.

Dylan Drechsel was initially seen by a store employee attempting to remove a security device from a Nintendo 3DS, worth about $170, on Aug. 11 at about 8:30 p.m., police said.

When police arrived at the store, officers watched surveillance video that confirmed the Livingston resident removed the security device, police said.

When the store manager recovered the box, he found the Nintendo 3DS was stolen, police said. The store manager told the police that he saw the alleged shoplifter wearing a Smashburger shirt and walking back to the restaurant—located in the same complex—after leaving Best Buy.

After identifying the alleged shoplifter in the surveillance video, police went to Smashburger and found the 20-year-old, who admitted to the police that he stole the device. He had put the device in his locker at the restaurant, and then turned it over to officers, police said.

According to the report, Patrolman Joseph Zeppetelli placed the Livingston resident under arrest and transported him to headquarters where he was processed and released.