Christmas Morning Thefts: Boy Charged With Stealing Car, Attempted Home Burglary, Police Say

WESTFIELD, NJ — A 15-year-old boy from Newark was charged after trying to break into a home in the 700 block of Coolidge Street after stealing a car on Christmas morning, Westfield Police Said.

He is charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree conspiracy to commit burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

The boy was one of three boys arrested on Dec. 26 in Newark by New Jersey State Police while in possession of a stolen BMW X7.

The BMW was stolen earlier on Christmas morning after a keyfob was stolen from a home in the Chatham Borough.

The same car was then later identified as the suspect car in the attempted burglary on Coolidge Street at around 11:30 a.m.

The three boys tried to get into a first-floor window using a crowbar, police said. It's believed that "high-end vehicles" on the property were the target of the burglary.

The boy was processed, served with juvenile delinquency complaints, and taken to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center Newark on additional charges filed by the New Jersey State Police Auto Theft Task Force.

Potential charges for the others involved have not yet been released.

Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro said this latest attempt is part of a larger trend in which Westfield and other towns have been the target of similar high-end vehicle theft attempts recently.

Anyone with information regarding this case or any others is asked to contact Detective Lieutenant Marcin Kapka at 908-789-6067 or mkapka@wpdnj.org.

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