North Jersey Little League Concession Stands Targeted By Burglars

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Little League concession stands across North Jersey have been hit by burglaries in recent weeks, including in Morris, Essex, and Passaic counties.

The burglaries, which have happened in several counties across northern and central New Jersey, appear to follow similar patterns: Two thieves will smash or pry their way into locked concession stands, grab cash, and flee. Along the way, they'll do damage to the stands themselves, and to cash registers.

Police departments are investigating the incidents as possibly related, and they have a general idea of who they are looking for. The first person is described as "a white male with an average build, wearing glasses, gloves, and a dark hoodie," and the second person is a "white female with a thin build, wearing a white hoodie, white pants, and gloves," ABC7 reported.

Up to 20 towns' Little League programs could be affected by the burglaries. Here are just some of the incidents:

• In Parsippany, both of their two programs have been targeted. The Par Troy Little League East concession stand, off of Eileen Court, was burglarized sometime between May 2 and 2. A few weeks later, sometime between May 24 and May 27, Par Troy Little League West concession stand in Lake Parsippany Park was burglarized. Thieves made off with $100 in the first burglary, and $400 in the second. Parsippany Sgt. Brian Conover said police are aware of similar incidents in neighboring towns, and are actively investigating to see if the Parsippany burglaries are related.
• Morristown was targeted on May 17. The burglars broke into the Burnam Park concession stand during the overnight hours, grabbing about $400 in cash and $30 worth of concessions. Repairs to a broken door will run several thousand dollars, police said.
• In Hasbrouck Heights, the thieves didn't just steal cash; they also made off with candy and drinks and destroyed the cash register.
• A similar situation happened in Clifton in early May, when their clubhouse was broken into and cash and candy were stolen. Local businesses, including the Stop & Shop and Promotion in Motion, donated dozens of candy bars to the league help replace what was stolen.

Communities have held fundraisers to help replace the stolen cash, which typically helps pay for various operating costs. Still, to Little League parents and coaches, the burglarizes cut deep.

"You know everybody volunteers their time and the little money that is raised from the snack stands is really valuable to the league for purchasing equipment. To see it taken away is upsetting," Anthony Abate, a father and coach in Wayne, told PIX11 News.

Other's expressed shock at how widespread of a problem the burglarizes have become.

"It was kind of amazing that this is now more than just Wayne, it's also other towns and a lot of the towns in our district. We have eight towns in the district, and it was really surprising to hear that, what people would do to steal money from a snack stand. My God. These are Little League kids, non profit, we're all volunteers here," A Little League board member in Wayne, Jim Pellegrini, told ABC7.