Car Owner Spots Thieves Driving Away in His Vehicle, Police Say

A Montclair resident helped foil a car theft when he noticed thieves driving down the road in his vehicle as he was heading home Friday night, police said.

The owner notified police when he saw two males heading down Valley Road near the Starbucks inside his Dodge Journey at about 10 p.m. Friday. Officers saw the vehicle turn from Chestnut Street onto Park Street and attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop.

The vehicle stopped and the two juvenile occupants ran from the scene, police said. One of the thieves was arrested while the second fled onto the railroad tracks in the area of Essex Way, police said. Trains were stopped for about a half-hour while the Essex County Sheriff’s K-9 unit conducted a search that was not successful.

The juvenile has been identified and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.