Man Stole from Vehicles Outside Washington Elementary, Cops Say

Wyckoff Police arrested a man Sunday who they say had been entering parked cars and stealing cash and credit cards from women’s purses.

John F. Clarke, age 50, whose last known address was in the Bronx, has family in the Wyckoff area and has been arrested numerous times over the last decade for similar crimes, police said.

“In the past, Clarke had committed these burglaries at churches,” said Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox. “He would stroll through the church parking lot, knowing that church would end at a certain time, and look for purses in vehicles."

When he found a purse he'd simply try to open the car door.

"If it opened, he would take cash and/or credit cards and place everything else back as it was," Fox said.

Clarke was involved with vehicle burglaries that took place on January 17 and April 2 while women dropped off their children at Washington Elementary School, Fox said. 

Clarke's image was seen using stolen cards after both incidents, he added.

Most victims would not have noticed that anything was stolen for a few hours, or until they tried to use their cash or cards, according to police, and Clarke would use the stolen credit cards to purchase gift cards.

“He would have a window to use the stolen credit cards before they had been reported stolen,” said Fox. “By purchasing gift cards he can then use them long after the credit card had been reported stolen.”

Clarke was arrested Sunday evening when his car was stopped by Wyckoff Police on Route 208 near Grandview Avenue. He was sent to Bergen County Jail.

Bail has been set at $50,000.

“This is just another reminder for people to lock their cars. Clarke wasn’t breaking into vehicles, he was entering unlocked vehicles,” said Fox.