WESTWOOD, N.J.—Two cars stolen from a Westervelt Place overnight on May 28–29 were recovered in Newark not long after, and the family that lost them said they’d left the keys in the car and the doors unlocked.
Police in Westwood and the wider Pascack Valley want residents to know that thieves are making the rounds for keys left in cars and are quick to boost the vehicles and exploit personal information left inside.
A canvass of the area after the first of the thefts was reported turned up cars that had been burgled—with no signs of forced entry.
According to a police spokeswoman, a resident returning from a night out with friends May 28 discovered that his Infiniti 4-door sedan, which he had parked outside his Westervelt Place address at around 9:45 p.m., was missing at 12:30 the next morning.
He said he had left his key fob on the front seat.
Hours after reporting that theft, a friend of his who had parked in the same spot reported her car, a Mercedes-Benz E300, had been burgled. She said she wasn’t sure if she had locked the car.
Later on May 29, the homeowner reported his daughter’s Audi A5 stolen from the family driveway overnight. The keys had been left inside with the doors unlocked. He said he didn’t realize immediately that the car was missing.
After the thefts were referred to detectives both cars were recovered in Newark, though Westwood police had no other information—other than to emphasize that key fobs never should be left inside the vehicle and that doors should be locked.
Related to this, on May 29 at 7:52 a.m. officers reported to the burglary of a GMC Acadia on Clinton Avenue.
Items were found strewn, and a gold purse under the passenger seat was missing. Credit cards left in the purse almost immediately were tried, with the cardholder receiving fraud alerts.
At 8:18 a.m. a patrolman saw a Honda CRV wagon on Newark Avenue that appeared to have been entered, with the glove box open and belongings strewn all over the passenger area.