FLORHAM PARK — On Monday, August 19, at 10:25 a.m., Florham Park Officers Chris Heredia and Charlie Greenstein, along with Sergeant Joel Phillips, responded to the area of a local business after an employee reported that someone might be attempting to make a fraudulent purchase. The officers located the suspect’s vehicle on Columbia Turnpike near Park Avenue as the individual fled the scene. During the pursuit, they discovered that the license plate on the vehicle had been reported stolen. The officers successfully stopped the vehicle off Columbia Road in Morris Township.
During the roadside investigation, the officers learned that the driver, a 21-year-old male from Syracuse, New York, had stolen items, including a key fob for a Cadillac Escalade and other items taken from additional victims. The driver was arrested, and further investigation revealed that not only was the license plate stolen, but the vehicle was stolen from a different victim in Broome County, New York. Inside the vehicle, the officers found numerous other stolen items and suspected burglary tools.
The suspect had been attempting to trade in the stolen vehicle at the local business for another vehicle but was unsuccessful in deceiving the employee. After fleeing the business, the suspect attempted to steal a Cadillac Escalade but failed. The stolen vehicle was towed, and the suspect was charged multiple crimes.
Other law enforcement agencies were alerted, as the vehicle was reported to have been involved in a previous police pursuit and linked to several other thefts in both New Jersey and New York. The suspect was processed on the following charges and subsequently lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing before a Morris County Superior Court judge:
- 2C:20-10.1 – Attempted Theft of a Motor Vehicle (second-degree crime)
- 2C:20-10.2 – Receiving Stolen Property (Motor Vehicle) (third-degree crime)
- 2C:20-7a – Receiving Stolen Property (other) (four counts: two third-degree crimes and two disorderly person offenses)
- 2C:20-7.1 – Fencing (third-degree crime)
- 2C:5-5a – Possession of Burglar Tools (disorderly person offense)
Additional motor vehicle offenses were also charged.
