Paterson Man Charged In Wayne Wheel Thefts

WAYNE, NJ — A Paterson man is charged with attempted theft, credit card theft, possession of false government documents and possession of burglary tools after police said he was responsible for multiple thefts of car wheels in the township.

Recently, vehicles parked in residential driveways in Wayne have been targeted for theft of their wheels, police said. These thefts occurred during overnight hours, and, in all of these incidents, the suspect would find nearby rocks and place them under the vehicles in order to complete the theft, they added.

The Wayne Township Police Department Detective Bureau has been actively collecting evidence and pursuing these cases. During the investigation, a potential suspect vehicle was identified along with a description of the suspect.

Police Officer Steven Papile located a vehicle matching that vehicle description parked on Andover Drive, near the intersection with Burnside Place on July 1, police said.

Inside the vehicle was Antony M. Arlequin-Salcedo, 22, of Paterson, who matched the description of the suspect, police said. On-scene investigation revealed tools to complete these thefts located near a vehicle in a near-by driveway.

Arlequin-Salcedo was arrested and charged with Attempted Theft, Credit Card Theft, Possession of Burglary Tools and Possession of False Government Documents.

The suspect vehicle that Arlequin-Salcedo was operating was also found to have a set of wheels and tires stolen on the previous evening on the vehicle. The vehicle was towed from the scene and these tires and wheels were seized and returned to the owner, police said.

Arlequin-Salcedo was also charged with three (3) separate counts of Theft for the other aforementioned tire and wheel thefts. He was released on summons pursuant to the New Jersey Criminal Justice Reform Act.

He was then released to the custody of a neighboring law enforcement agency to be charged for a similar incident that occurred in their jurisdiction, police said.