Cars Are Being Stolen At Union County Country Clubs: Officials

WESTFIELD, NJ — Despite Westfield's stepped-up police patrols to combat Union County car thefts, a vehicle containing "$30,000 in personal property" was stolen in town a week ago Monday, Mayor Shelley Brindle said in an update Friday. She said the car was stolen at a Westfield country club, and that the theft was part of a new trend.

Information from police reports states that a Land Rover was stolen June 28. Inside were golf equipment, jewelry, cash, and other items. The total value of stolen property, including the car, was approximately $124,970, police say.

In addition, last week, a man from out of town was spotted by Westfield patrols allegedly burglarizing a vehicle, but was released after his arrest.

Brindle said in a new trend, criminals have been entering unlocked cars at country clubs and identifying the person's home via the registration. If they can steal the garage door opener, they can enter the garage at home.

"As Chief Battiloro continues to report, unlocked high-end vehicles are being targeted for burglary and theft," the mayor noted in a weekly update on Friday. "Area country clubs are now being targeted by criminals. Items such as garage door openers have been reported stolen from unlocked vehicles and then owners’ residences later targeted for burglaries and thefts. Vehicle registration cards have been stolen and seemingly used to identify the locations of owners’ residences."

The stolen vehicle is the 12th stolen from Westfield this year. The other 11 have been recovered, officials have said.

The mayor noted the following three recent crimes in Westfield involving car theft and burglary:

• On June 28, a 2019 black Land Rover Range Rover belonging to a guest at Echo Lake Country Club was reported stolen from its private parking lot during the mid-afternoon hours. The vehicle was left unlocked with its key fob in it at the time of the theft. It reportedly contained over $30,000 worth of personal property. The car has not yet been recovered.
• On June 26, at approximately 6:42 a.m., a resident of Minisink Way reported that he received an alert via his Ring camera system. Upon checking the footage, he observed a person wearing dark clothing and light-colored gloves look through his front door’s window and then proceed to pull on the door handle of his 2013 Ford F-150, which was parked in the driveway. After unsuccessfully attempting to enter the vehicle, the suspect ran towards and entered an accompanying 2018 Audi Q52 and fled the area, traveling north on Minisink Way. The 2018 Audi Q52 was identified as a stolen vehicle from Princeton.
• This past Friday morning, at approximately 2:01 a.m., officers on patrol observed a 25-year-old man [allegedly] burglarizing an unlocked 2003 Dodge Ram pick-up located in the parking lot of an auto body business on the 300 block of Springfield Avenue. The subject had "admittedly stolen" $1.90 in spare change from within the vehicle. He was arrested, charged with burglary (a 3rd degree crime) and theft (a disorderly persons offense), and subsequently released on his own recognizance after being served with a complaint-summonses.

Westfield residents have been reporting suspicious people and vehicles prowling the area, as well as people tugging on car doors and burglarizing unlocked vehicles.

The police department has made several high-profile arrests in the last year in connection with car thefts. READ MORE: 3 Police Injured As Westfield Teen Is Charged In Car Thefts

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