STAFF REPORT
NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
TRENTON––They are alleged to have stolen cars from Closter, and other New Jersey municipalities, including Morristown, Long Hill, Jamesburg, Holmdel, Livingston, Princeton and Mahwah.
On July 27, four men from Newark were charged in an indictment, announced by the state attorney general, that alleges they conspired to steal luxury cars and attempted to load them onto cargo ships or fence in other states. Named in the state grand jury indictment are: Kelvin Vega, 25; Jonathan Vega, 24 (Kelvin’s brother); Carlos Sanchez Jr., 18, and Bilal Cureton, 27 – all of Newark. They are alleged to have committed the second-degree crimes of conspiracy, financial facilitation of criminal activity, fencing, receiving stolen property, and theft by unlawful taking.
“The defendants allegedly stole numerous high-end vehicles, including various models of Mercedes, BMW and Bentley,” the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced. “The defendants were allegedly directly linked to thefts of at least 14 vehicles with a combined estimated value of more than $800,000.”
The attorney general’s office said the defendants allegedly used certain spots to “cool off” vehicles, “parking them at a hotel in Elizabeth, for example, until they were sure they were not equipped with tracking devices that would lead law enforcement to them.”
Once they were sure the vehicle was not actively being tracked, it was taken to another location, typically in Irvington, to be shipped, or was fenced domestically, the attorney general’s office said.
“Several of the vehicles allegedly stolen by the defendants were recovered from shipping containers prior to being placed on cargo vessels,” the attorney general’s office said.
“These men allegedly scoured wealthy residential areas for the luxury cars they prized, typically stealing them right from their owners’ driveways,” said Attorney General Christopher Porrino. “This was big business for these defendants, but our Auto Theft Task Force has taken down their alleged conspiracy.”
Kelvin Vega was found in possession of a stolen Mercedes-Benz S550 in Louisiana, and other cars were found in Maryland and Ohio, the attorney general’s office announced.
“Over the past several years, we’ve arrested scores of car thieves, including violent carjackers, through joint investigations with the New Jersey State Police and our other law enforcement partners,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “By putting these criminals behind bars and breaking up their fencing operations, we’ve made our residents safer and protected valuable property.”
Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000, according to the attorney general’s office.
“These callous defendants targeted suburban residents and luxury car owners for their own financial gain,” said Col. Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the State Police Interstate Theft Unit, the Division of Criminal Justice and their task force partners, we were able to put an end to this real-life ‘Grand Theft Auto’ scheme.”
Northern Valley Press has been routinely told by police authorities that residents should lock and secure cars, taking key fobs with them, and secure valuables out of sight, when disembarking from their vehicles.
