FREEHOLD – Residents tipped police off to a suspicious Maserati driving around a neighborhood on the morning of November 8, and officers later arrested the people inside for breaking into high end cars.
“Car thieves have been feasting on a smorgasbord of high-end vehicles in Monmouth County’s affluent neighborhoods, but they are about to find out the buffet is closed. State, county and local law enforcement officers are working diligently and are focused on ending the feeding frenzy,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.
Marlboro Police were called after midnight about the suspicious people in the Morganville section of town. When police arrived, they noticed that the suspects burgled one vehicle and tried to get into another.
The Maserati was spotted several hours later in Freehold. An officer saw it on Rustic Way heading toward him, and he had to evade it to keep from being struck. He whirled around and put on his emergency lights. The Maserati took off down Route 79 at high speed.
The officer saw the vehicle crash and roll several times. When he pulled up to the crash, he saw three suspects fleeing on foot. He managed to arrest them.
Other officers arrived on scene. Two other suspects fled the Maserati and one was caught.
It was determined that the 2016 Maserati Ghibli was stolen the day before from Irvington.
Meanwhile, Marlboro Police were contacted by other homeowners stating that someone had attempted to steal their vehicles. Surveillance cameras recorded the same suspects who were being arrested.
Sharrod Rodgers, 19, and Isaiah Davis, 18, both of Newark, were charged with third degree burglary, two counts of third degree attempted burglary, second degree receiving stolen property and fourth degree resisting arrest.
Aziz McCloud, 18, of Newark, was similarly charged; however, after police determined he was the driver of the stolen vehicle, he was additionally charged with second degree eluding, third degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and third degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance (cocaine). The fourth vehicle occupant was charged on a Juvenile Delinquency complaint. He was later released to a guardian.
This is just one example of high end vehicle thefts. Deal Police responded to thefts of a BMW and a Mercedes from different houses on the same street on October 12. The Mercedes had tracking software that led police to a motel in Linden, where they also spotted the BMW.
The officers also learned what car was used to bring the suspects to the street where they took the BMW and Mercedes. Three days later, another Deal officer pulled over that car speeding out of Asbury Park. The occupants were linked to a vehicle burglary in Brielle that morning.
Arrested were Jeron Pitt, 18, of Somerset, Ishmil Fate, 18, of Newark, and Christopher Rodriguez, 19, of Newark. All were charged with second degree theft, two counts of third degree theft and two counts of third degree attempted theft, and third degree burglary.
Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.
“While not all of these motor vehicle thefts are committed on unlocked cars, it appears these thieves continue to target high-end motor vehicles, whose owners continue to leave their cars unlocked with their key fob inside. Locking your doors and securing your keys will go a long way towards reducing these crimes. While police officers across Monmouth County have relentlessly investigated these high-end thefts, the community needs to be aware that a reduction in car thefts is unlikely until careless owners begin to lock their vehicles,” said Prosecutor Gramiccioni.
