More Car Thefts In Summit, Mayor Announces New Police Efforts

SUMMIT, NJ — Car thefts continue to escalate in Summit, as the Police Department continues to urge residents to lock their cars and remove the key fob from inside.

At Tuesday night's Summit Council meeting, Mayor Nora Radest gave a series of updates on police efforts in response to recent car thefts. In the past few days, there has been one attempted car theft and one successful theft reported in Summit.

The most recent attempted theft occurred on Monday at 11:20 p.m. when a Summit Police Officer was patrolling Whittredge Road.

The officer saw a man idling near a driveway in a BMW X7. As the officer approached, a second man ran down the driveway and jumped into the waiting car. This vehicle, which was reported to be stolen in Bridgewater, sped quickly toward Essex Road, and the officer attempted to stop the vehicle as it accelerated toward Route 24.

However, due to recently enacted NJ State Attorney General guidelines prohibiting police pursuit of suspect vehicles, the officer was forced to disengage from the chase.

Radest said studies have shown that police officers, car thieves and innocent bystanders have been severely hurt by motor vehicle accidents in these types of car chases.

Radest briefly mentioned Officer Anthony Pyzik who recently returned to duty after overcoming serious injuries from a collision that occurred while he was pursuing a stolen car.

The Mayor said officers can block a car into a driveway if they see it is being stolen, but once the driver goes onto one of the major highways, police cannot pursue them.

When the officer returned to the Whittredge Road residence on Monday, it was discovered that the suspect had entered and rummaged through a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee parked in the driveway of the residence.

According to the owner, the vehicle registration, insurance card and key fob were stolen from the vehicle. Summit Police said it appears that the suspect aborted the car theft attempt when they saw an officer at the scene.

Additionally, on Sunday at BMW X3 was stolen from a house on DeBary Place at around 9:30 p.m.

Summit Police ask residents to check home security cameras for suspicious activity in the area at that time and report it to 908-273-0051.

A neighbor in the Northside section of Summit also reported an attempt that was recorded on a security camera, according to Summit Police. The suspect tried to open the car but could not because it was locked.

Summit resident Delia Hamlet told Patch that a group of Northside residents will have a meeting with Police Chief Steven Zagorski on Wednesday, and will propose hiring their own security.

"The problem is the timing of the Nixle alerts," Hamlet said in an email. "They often come the day after [a car theft] which isn't helpful."

Several residents expressed concerns about car thefts at the previous Council meeting in January.

Read more: Summit Car Thefts: Residents Beg Police To Do More At Meeting

At the council meeting, Radest said that most of the thieves who steal these vehicles are juveniles and when arrested they are almost automatically released because of laws governing juvenile defenders. Because they are so often released, she said this encourages repeat offenses.

Radest said in response to the uptick in thefts, police have increased targeted patrols in various neighborhoods, as well as stationed unmarked cars in various locations this past week. 80 extra hours of patrol coverage was also added.

Radest also met with mayors from several nearby towns to discuss the issue of car thefts. She said the biggest similarity between all the towns was that car thefts happen most often when the car is unlocked with the key fob left inside.

The full Council meeting can be viewed on YouTube.

To sign up for Nixle alerts from the Summit Police Department, visit this page.

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.

Get a free morning newsletter with news in Summit or another town: https://patch.com/subscribe