Car Theft Numbers Highest Countywide In Chatham Borough: Police

CHATHAM, NJ — There have been seven cars stolen in Chatham Borough since Jan. 1, according to a presentation during the borough’s council meeting on Monday night.

Chatham Borough Police Department Sgt. Richard Jaremba and Police Chief Brian Gibbons presented a breakdown about car thefts during the borough’s virtual council meeting. Jaremba called the increase “extremely significant,” with the borough having the highest percentage of car thefts countywide. He said since Jan 1, there have been 30 cars stolen in Morris County, with 21 percent from the borough.

Jaremba and Gibbons said the thefts likely could have been prevented, with cars unlocked in all cases. In some cases, the keys and keyfobs were left inside. Jaremba described the thefts as "crimes of opportunity.” Gibbons said that thieves may watch for certain indicators, like mirrors open in vacant cars, which could be a sign that keyfobs are inside.

Gibbons said the department's real-time analysis shows that many cars taken are Jeep Grand Cherokees, with Washington Avenue an area that thieves have targeted.

Some have been left running at eateries, while some cars taken in January were being warmed up.

Gibbons said the time of day was not a factor and the thefts had been happening at varying hours.

“You take away the opportunity, you take away the crime,” Jaremba said.

The two repeated messaging that they have at council meetings in past years, but with greater urgency, the said. The problem could dramatically decline if residents locked their car doors, took keys and key fobs, removed garage door openers — which gives the car thieves access to homes — and take valuables. Many of the car thefts include the taking of other items, from laptops to golf clubs, they said. Some victims have faced identity theft crimes after leaving wallets and identification in their vehicles.

That differs from 2021, when the borough only held six percent of the county’s car thefts countywide, Jaremba calling the uptick a “massive increase” that has already dwarfed 2021’s tally.

“To put that into context, that would be more stolen vehicles than 2015 through 2021 combined,” Jaremba told the borough council.

In an average year, about five cars are taken from the borough, Jaremba said.

Between 2015 and 2022, only 10 percent of car theft cases have ended with arrests made, Jaremba added.

In many cases, cars are stolen by people committing other crimes, like other car thefts, armed robberies and even homicides, he said. If cars are returned, 80 percent are damaged, some burned or with gunshot holes. One car taken from the borough was used in a crime in Belleville, Jaremba said. Since 2015, 60 percent of cars recovered that had been stolen from borough residents, have been in Newark and 11 percent from Irvington, said Gibbons.

Policing tactics to attempt to thwart the problem, Jaremba and Gibbons said, have included license plate readers on all of the borough’s major roadways, the uploads shared into a statewide system. The system alerts police departments when a stolen vehicle is driven into a town. Patrol officers also have handheld thermal imagers, Jaremba said, that they can check vehicle temperatures and for handprints. The Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s auto theft task force have also joined the investigations.

Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz asked if the problem was in nearby counties and how numbers in towns like Summit or New Providence compared. Though Jaremba said they did not have the numbers for those towns, all departments are sharing the same message, for residents to lock their cars.

Kobylarz said the borough plans to step up its messaging to residents about the importance of locking up their cars.

Gibbons stressed that these thefts take police away from other activities between investigating and time in court, if a case ends up going to trial.

Kobylarz asked if Chatham Borough is being viewed by thieves as a town for “easy pickings,” which Jaremba said he could not say for certain, but the numbers may support Kobylarz’s theory. The borough has easy-on, easy-off access to highways in the area, said Jaremba.

Gibbons offered some tips if confronted by a car thief. He said not to engage the thief, instead take a description down and provide that information to police. Call the police department with any evidence, including ring camera footage, if it is available.

Watch the full discussion during the meeting below:

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