Man Steals Cash, Car From Morris Township Home: Police

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ - After being thwarted in an attempt to enter several vehicles, a man gained entry to a Normandy Parkway home on Saturday and stole cash, their keys and their car, according to authorities.

Morris Township Police said between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. a suspect described as a 6' heavyset black man in his late teens or early twenties wearing a red sweatshirt, black pants, backpack and a white hat, attempted to enter vehicles parked at the Twin Oaks Tennis Club on Columbia Road.

The vehicles were locked and deterred the suspect and he was scared off when a witness confronted him, police said. Moments later the same suspect entered an unlocked door of a home on Normandy Parkway, located keys and cash and stole the resident’s vehicle, police said.

The residents were home but were not confronted by the suspect. No was injured, there were no weapons involved and no one was threatened.

Earlier, at 1 a.m. a white male driving a possible stolen, damaged, car on Columbia Road coming from the direction of Florham Park came to a stop near the entrance of Twin Oaks Tennis Club, police said. The man attempted to gain entry into other vehicles, however the vehicles were locked. Witnesses reported that the man ran off into the direction of the Frelinghuysen Field on Columbia Road. Police said they do not know if the incidents are related and are asking anyone with information or camera footage that may assist the investigation contact the Morris Township Police Department at 973-539-0777 or 973-326-7480.

"I cannot stress enough how important it is to lock your vehicle doors and residential doors. I understand that doing so makes us feel as though we live in an area that is unsafe or not secure. That is not the case," Morris Township Police Chief Mark DiCarlo said. "The reality is that there are some individuals that will attempt to benefit from easy targets. The suspects moved on when they came across vehicles that were locked."

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