Weekend brings rash
of car thefts, break-ins

EAST BRUNSWICK — Police are investigating a series of motor vehicle thefts and break-ins that took place over the weekend at five Route 18 shopping center parking lots.

Between Friday and Sunday, two cars were stolen, a third was nearly stolen, and four other vehicles were burglarized.

The first reported incident involved the theft of a white 1997 Ford Econoline van, reported stolen at 9:03 p.m. Friday from the parking lot of the Route 18 Market. The van belonged to a 49-year-old township resident who owns a business in the market. It contained an estimated $4,000 worth of shoes from that business at the time it was stolen, police said.

The following day at 5:07 p.m., a 54-year-old South River man returned to his 1993 Ford pickup truck in the parking lot of the Home Depot to find a suspect described as a young black male attempting to steal the truck by using a dent-puller to defeat the ignition. Upon seeing the owner, the suspect ran to a white GMC Savannah and drove off onto Route 18. The blue dent-puller was left behind by the suspect.

On Sunday evening, police reported that another Ford Econoline van was stolen, this time from the Home Depot lot. No evidence was found at the scene, according to Police Sgt. Russell MacArthur.

Police are also looking into a separate series of motor vehicle break-ins that they believe have no connection to the vehicular thefts.

The break-ins began Saturday at Loehmann’s Plaza, where a 23-year-old Old Bridge woman was returning to her parked 1997 Nissan Altima and found a suspect described as a young Hispanic male attempting to pry out her car stereo. The suspect immediately fled and got into a silver or gray four-door Toyota Corolla operated by a second Hispanic male.

Police believe the pair then stole two car stereos from vehicles parked outside the Gateway computer store in the American Office Mall. Another car stereo was stolen shortly thereafter from a car in the parking lot of Sam’s Club, police said.