Attempted Car Thefts, Burglaries Rampant In Westfield Last Week: Cops

WESTFIELD, NJ — Several attempted car thefts and car burglaries took place last week in Westfield, according to the most recent police blotter.

The Police Department recently provided a detailed update on a series of car and residential burglaries the previous week, warning residents to lock their cars and homes.

Read more: BMW Stolen + Numerous Car Theft Attempts In Westfield Over Weekend

"As I mentioned several weeks ago, this remains a statewide problem, and one that is universally unsettling," Mayor Shelley Brindle wrote in her update last week.

"I am lending my full support to the recently introduced bipartisan state legislation intended to stiffen criminal penalties for car theft and deter minors from their involvement, and have called upon other leaders in the region to join me in our collective efforts to shore up the laws that are emboldening this criminal behavior in New Jersey," Brindle said.

The first attempted burglary occurred on Sunday, Aug. 21 when a resident told police they saw someone enter their unlocked car in the driveway via their surveillance system. However, police said the resident did not report any stolen items. The incident occurred on the 700 block of Clark Street.

That same morning, a resident on the 900 block of Woodmere Drive told police that someone entered their car and removed the key fob from inside. A second person returned to the vehicle, presumably with the key fob, with the intention of stealing the car, according to police.

Police said the car was unlocked in the resident's driveway when the incident occurred. The cost of replacing the key is about $400, police said.

A third attempted burglary also occurred the same morning, but the resident's doors were locked and no entry was gained, police said.

Later that day, at around 6 p.m., police said an attempted car theft occurred at the 500 block of Springfield Avenue. Police said the suspected vehicle, described as a dark-colored Dodge Durango, was reported stolen out of Totowa.

Four people were inside the Dodge, according to police, and they attempted to enter a 2022 BMW X7. The suspect vehicle drove into the parking lot and stopped next to the victim's vehicle, where three individuals exited the car and pulled on all of the door handles of the BMW, according to police.

The four men were all described as wearing hooded sweatshirts and jeans, police said.

Then, on Friday, Aug. 26, a resident's car was burglarized on the 400 block of Wells Street at 5:29 a.m, police said. The car was unlocked at the time of the burglary, police said. However, the resident told police that no items were taken from the vehicle.

Several bike thefts also occurred that week. In one incident, a resident said her daughter locked her lime-colored Schwinn bicycle, valued at about $250, at the Northside Train Station at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26.

Police said when she went back to retrieve her bicycle several hours later, it was no longer where she locked it. Along with the bicycle, a phone attachment (valued at $15), an unknown brand water bottle (valued at $20), a white-colored helmet (valued at $30.00) and an unknown brand bicycle cable lock (valued at $20.00) were also stolen. The total value of the items taken were approximately $325.00, police said.

You can check the full police blotter from last week on the Police Department's Facebook page.

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