Updated Car Theft Legislation Debated By Chatham Committee

CHATHAM, NJ — It may have taken a few months to get things moving, but the Chatham Township Committee introduced an ordinance last week that clarifies trespassing and auto theft within the township.

The ordinance, which was first proposed by committee member Mark Lois in an effort to better address a troubling auto crime trend in the community, was formally introduced at the Feb. 21 committee meeting.

The goal of the new ordinance, according to the committee, is to further clarify what constitutes a financial and legal penalty for any property trespassed upon or vehicle tampered with or targeted for theft.

The new ordinance will also increase the monetary penalties for such acts committed within the municipality. For example, the minimum fine for a violation of the ordinance's acts is $1,000 for the first offense and $2,000 for each subsequent offense.

While discussing the introduction, committee member Stacey Ewald argued that some of the language used in the new ordinance was too emotional and proposed amending a section to instead "just state the facts."

The section Ewald was referencing states, "The changes in state laws which lead to criminal 'catch and release' remain unaddressed by state law makers and are encouraging lawless behavior in our community."

"What does criminal catch and release refer to? Are we talking about bail reform? Are we talking about juvenile justice reform? Because it is typically referring to immigration and there has been a rise in car thefts across the county regardless of what they do in the state legislature," Ewald said.

In her proposal, that section of the ordinance would instead place the blame on an increase in key-fob car access and the demand for luxury cars in other countries, rather than catch and release.

Deputy Mayor Mark Hamilton argued against this revision, stating that the current catch-and-release environment encourages lawless behavior within the community.

"I, for one, am not supportive of the proposed amendment. I think it places the blame on some unidentified foreign actors who want luxury cars and not where it belongs, which is the utter negligence by our states lawmakers in Trenton, which is the real problem," Hamilton said.

Ewald's motion to propose an amendment to the ordinance was rejected by the committee.

However, in an act of good faith and compromise, Hamilton later introduced a motion to amend the ordinance to include Ewald's modification, but as an addition rather than a replacement, which was approved unanimously.

"This was a good compromise," Mayor Ashley Felice said.

The ordinance's public hearing is set for the committee meeting on Mar. 21, and all residents will be invited to comment on its impending approval.