NEW JERSEY – Law enforcement agencies in Maplewood, Scotch Plains, and Union are intensifying their efforts to solve a series of brazen burglaries that have targeted jewelry stores throughout the state. In just the past two weekends, approximately a dozen establishments fell victim to these smash-and-grab robberies, with the most recent incident occurring early Monday morning.
Authorities were alerted to the burglary at Union Jewelers Exchange on Route 22 in Union when an alarm company reported multiple motion activations at approximately 3:58 a.m. Surveillance footage captured the thieves forcefully entering the store through the front door, wielding a tire iron and a sledgehammer. In a swift and calculated operation, they made off with a substantial amount of jewelry, valued at thousands of dollars.
Responding officers spotted a white Jeep Cherokee exiting the parking lot. A pursuit was initiated, but the vehicle managed to evade capture. Union Police Department Chief Scott Breslow revealed that officers were in close proximity to the scene and arrived within minutes, but the suspects’ swift escape hindered apprehension. “Then (they) chased the Jeep to Newark and then followed up on the license plate number, went to the house of a person whose license plate was missing,” Chief Breslow explained. The only evidence left behind by the robbers was a trail of gold scattered throughout the parking lot, indicating that they were dividing the spoils of their criminal activities.
Approximately 16 minutes later, at approximately 4:14 a.m., another jewelry store burglary took place at Trimarco Jewelers in Maplewood. Police responded to an alarm activation and discovered that the front door windows had been damaged. An undisclosed amount of gold jewelry was stolen during the incident.
Deputy Chief Scott Breslow of the Union Police Department revealed that these recent incidents are part of a larger pattern of similar robberies. Since June 2nd, a dozen jewelry stores across various locations, including Linden, Woodbridge, Middletown, Eatontown, Green Brook, Hainesport, Robbinsville, Long Branch, and Westfield, have been targeted in similar fashion. In each case, multiple suspects, often operating during the nighttime hours, employ a Jeep as their getaway vehicle.
Chief Breslow suspects that the Jeep captured in the surveillance footage was stolen, along with the license plate, further complicating the investigation. As of now, no arrests have been made, and law enforcement agencies are working diligently to gather additional information and apprehend the culprits responsible for these brazen robberies.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities coordinate their efforts and analyze the evidence at hand in hopes of bringing an end to this wave of jewelry store burglaries that has left local business owners on high alert.