Shoplifting, Vandalism, Theft on this Week's Blotter

Millburn Police investigated a shoplifting case at the mall, a shoplifting case at Trader Joe’s, vandalism to a car and a case of a stolen cell phone at the basketball court in Taylor Park over the weekend.

Here's a rundown of the cases police worked on in this week:

Vandalism, criminal mischief: On Sunday, April 8, police were called to Benihana’s Japanese restaurant, where an employee reported that someone had written derogatory and offensive messages on her car. She provided pictures of the words that she said she took with the Benihana camera, after which she went back inside to call police. When she went back out to the car, someone had washed all of the messages off the car. Benihana has surveillance cameras in the parking lot but the footage was not readily available. Police told the victim to provide the video footage when they could retrieve it.

Theft: Also on Sunday, a man who had been playing basketball at Taylor Park went to the Millburn Police Department to report that someone had stolen his cell phone while he was there. During his game, he used his HTC Evo cellular phone to make a call and then put it back in his backpack. When he finished his game, he told police, he noticed the cell phone, which he valued at $500, was gone. He told police that noticed some teens and a 10-year-old in the area at the time and questioned them. He told police that while they denied it, they acted nervous. And one of them had already left the area.

Shoplifting: Trader Joe’s on Saturday reported that a man attempted to shoplift $43 worth of groceries by filling a re-usable grocery bag with groceries and walking out. Employees held the suspect at the store until police arrived, but declined to press charges until they heard from headquarters as to whether to pursue the case, but they did tell the man not to come in the store anymore.

Shoplifting: On Friday, April 6, police arrested Bernadette Griffin of Newark on charges of shoplifting at SAKS Fifth Avenue at The Mall at Short Hills after store security watched her steal three dresses, with a total value of $538. When police officer Travis Jiroux searched Griffin’s belongings, he found a crack cocaine pipe and a green bag with crack cocaine residue. She was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. A background check revealed outstanding warrants in Bridgewater and Millburn and she was taken to the Essex County Jail.