Cars Stolen From Pine Brook Driveways

Two new-model cars were stolen from Pine Brook residences last weekend leaving Montville Township police to investigate whether the vehicle thefts are connected.

Both of the vehicles were taken overnight from Saturday into Sunday, Capt. Rudy Appelmann said. 

One of the vehicles, a black, four-door 2012 Acura, was taken from Tudor Place between 11 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Appelman said. The owner of the car told officers the keys were not inside the vehicle, but Appelmann was unsure whether the car was locked.

That same night, between 6 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. Sunday, a grey, 2013 Jeep Cherokee was reported stolen from the parking lot of the 4100 building at Rachel Gardens. It was unknown whether the Jeep had been locked. In both cases, Appelmann said no glass or other indicators of a break-in were found near the vehicles.

At about 3 a.m. Sunday, Appelmann said officers also responded to Hamilton Place where a resident told police he was sitting in his car, warming it up, when a person approached the car, grabbed on to the door handle and attempted to enter. While Appelmann did not have a description of the person, the resident told officers that once the person noticed him sitting in the driver's seat, they immediately backed away from the car and left the driveway.

Appelmann said police are currently investigating whether the car thefts are related.

"It's possible," he said. "It's under investigation right now."

Anyone with information on any of the incidents is asked to contact Montville Township police at 973-257-4300.