2 Cars Stolen In Holmdel After Thieves Crawl Into House, Find Keys

HOLMDEL, NJ — Two cars were stolen early Thursday morning from a township residence after thieves pried open a garage window, got into the house, located keys to two high-end vehicles and drove them away, police reported.

One of the vehicles was recovered in Irvington at 9 a.m. Thursday, police said.

This latest report comes after the township recently announced it has installed its first automated license plate reader in the township, the Township Committee reported last month.

Police said on Thursday, April 13, at 5 a.m., three suspects pried open the garage window at an Ashton Court home and crawled into the garage.

The people then entered the home and located keys for the two vehicles and stole them, police said.

The suspects arrived in the neighborhood in a small, silver SUV, possibly a Mercedes or Audi, police said. That SUV fled the area, along with the stolen cars.

Police urge residents to report any suspicious vehicles or activity to the Holmdel Township Police Department.

At the March 28 Township Committee meeting, Committeeman Brian Foster, liaison to the Police Department, reported that residents can create a watch group in their neighborhood if they don't already have one. Residents can contact Capt. Michael Pigott at the township police department, he said, regarding the neighborhood watch.

He also reported at that meeting that the first of several stationary automated license plate readers that the township ordered last year has been installed at an undisclosed location.

Four additional readers will be installed in the future, Foster said.

Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are cameras that automatically scan and read the license plates of passing cars. Police already have two mobile scan readers the police department uses on police cars, officials said last year.

The devices have the potential to scan millions of license plates each year, according to a statement last year from the township.

They will help the Holmdel Township Police Department solve crimes more quickly by checking a vehicle’s plate, make, model and color against a national database to find out if it has been reported stolen, is associated with a missing person, or is wanted as evidence in an investigation.

The fixed-mounted devices will also allow the police department to triangulate a more precise area to search for any stolen vehicles within the township, the township said last year.