Police Thwart Burglary At Morris County Motorsports Store

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Police broke up an early morning burglary in progress at a Roxbury Township shop that specializes in selling ATVs, motorcycles and other motorized vehicles on Friday.

A total of nine out-of-state residents were detained and charged with different offenses such as attempted theft, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and conspiracy to commit burglary, police said.

The incident was reported to Roxbury police at 4:12 a.m. when they "received a call for 'unwanted persons' on the property of Ledgewood Powersports on Route 46. Officers arrived at the scene and discovered nine people inside the store's fenced-in outdoor area, where all-terrain and utility vehicles are stored.

Five of the individuals were immediately apprehended by Roxbury and Netcong officers. Four more people, who had fled the scene, were captured shortly after in the wooded area behind the store with the help of Morris County Sheriff's Office K-9.

When authorities arrived, a silver BMW also fled the scene and crashed on Landing Road, however, the suspects in the car were never captured, police said.

“Their immediate response unquestionably stopped a large-scale burglary in progress of approximately $488,000 in ATVs and UTVs. The quick thinking of every officer arriving inevitably led to swiftly removing these criminals from Roxbury Township, and I am proud of their achievement this morning," Chief Dean Adone said.

The incident is similar to one that occurred in August 2017 when police tracked down and charged four young men with burglarizing Ledgewood Powersports in the middle of the night with the help of the sheriff's K-9 Unit.

A total of nine individuals were arrested and charged with the following:

• Christopher Thomas, age 41, Philadelphia, PA
• Nasir Carter, age 24, Philadelphia, PA
• Majesty Brown, age 20, Philadelphia, PA
• Carlton Burton, age 53, Philadelphia, PA
• Deron Bradsher, age 20, Philadelphia, PA
• John Lopez, age 21, Philadelphia, PA
• Alex Gonzalez, age 31, Phoenix, AZ
• Melvin Davis, age 37, Philadelphia, PA
• Nakir Thompson, age 21, Philadelphia, PA

Attempted theft, conspiracy to commit theft, burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, criminal mischief, conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, obstruction, resisting arrest and possession of burglary tools.

According to police, one of the suspects, Carter, was also charged with possession with intent and possession of CDS.

"Today’s arrests are indicative of the vigilant efforts of our Morris County law enforcement personnel. This early morning success of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the Roxbury Police Department working in tandem exemplifies the seamless coordination between law enforcement agencies we strive for. Good work by all in capturing these alleged criminals and keeping our neighborhoods safe," Morris County Sheriff James Gannon said.