Middletown Township Police Department
Details of Police Activities and Arrest Information
Point of Contact: Deputy Chief Paul Bailey - (732) 615-2066
For Immediate Release: September 29, 2022
Middletown – On September 29, 2022, Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber announced the recent arrests of two juveniles who were charged in connection with the recent theft of a vehicle.
On September 23rd, a 16-year-old male and a 17-year-old male, both residing in Newark, were arrested by members of the New Jersey State Police Auto Theft Task Force. They were each charged with Receiving Stolen Property and Attempted Burglary. These charges are in connection with a stolen Audi Q8 sport utility vehicle, valued at over $65,000 that was stolen in New York City, NY. These same juveniles are suspected of being involved in numerous attempted thefts in Middletown and surrounding jurisdictions and that part of the investigation is still ongoing.
Additionally, Middletown Police and members of the NJSP Auto Theft Task Force are continuing to investigate thefts of other vehicles in the township. On August 8th, a BMW X3 was stolen from a residence on Sailors Way. It was recovered the next day in Newark. On August 18th, a Ford Explorer ST was stolen from a residence on Mohican Drive. That vehicle was subsequently recovered by police several days later in Newark. Police are investigating the possibility that the two thefts are connected.
Chief Weber stated, “The alarming rise in auto theft poses a serious risk to public safety. Car thieves, who are often juveniles, have become increasingly reckless, entering garages and homes in broad daylight to retrieve key fobs and driving at extremely high rates of speed, sometimes crashing into police cars and other motorists. We have increased police patrols to address this criminal activity and are working collaboratively with other local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies to target the criminal networks who are responsible for this multi-million dollar enterprise.”
The Middletown Police thank our residents for their continued support and cooperation. Members of the community are asked to make sure that they lock their vehicles when not in use. Additionally, the public is asked to immediately contact the police if they observe any suspicious activity.
Any persons arrested or charged with offenses are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Additionally, except in specific circumstances, arrest and complaint information and names of those charged may be released.
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