Police in the western Essex County town of Cedar Grove are on the search for yet another set of thieves who allegedly attempted to burglarize vehicles in the township Tuesday morning.
According to Cedar Grove Police Chief J. Cirasca, at approximately 2:31 a.m., a Timber Rock Court resident reported two suspicious individuals in his driveway and near his vehicle.
The residents told police that the suspects fled the scene after one of the males noticed their presence.
Chief Cirasca said the suspects were last seen entering a black Mercedes SUV, which prompted several officers to search the area for the vehicle.
Police say they located the suspects running from an Eileen Drive driveway, where they then jumped into the Mercedes.
According to Chief Cirasca, Cedar Grove Officers pursued the Mercedes down Vincent Road then onto Route 23 South, where units attempted to get the car to pull over.
Once on Route 23, Chief Cirasca said the suspected vehicle accelerated to speeds well over 100 miles per hour.
"Due to the risk and the distance between the suspect vehicle and the patrol units becoming too great, the pursuit was terminated," Chief Cirasca said.
A subsequent check at the Eileen Drive residence revealed that the suspects searched unlocked parked vehicles looking for keys or key fobs. Chief Cirasca said nothing was reported missing from the vehicles at this time.
Although Chief Cirasca credited alert residents and their quick reporting for thwarting the ongoing criminal activities by the suspects in Cedar Grove, he noted that these activities could be significantly reduced if residents began ‘eliminating the opportunity.'
This is the second 'reported' incident of a potential burglary in Cedar Grove, which resulted in pursuit but ended in suspects not being apprehended.
"Once again, please lock and remove the keys and valuables from your vehicles. Extra patrols have been assigned to the Park Ridge Estate Development.
If you should observe suspicious activity or a crime, contact the police immediately. It is not safe to investigate, follow or go looking for the actors on your own", Chief Cirasca said.
Both incidents are under active and ongoing investigations.