Crime & Safety

BMW & Benz Reported Stolen From Basking Ridge Driveway

Police urge residents not to leave keys or key fobs in vehicles.

police said they are trying to determine if the theft of a 2011 BMW and a 2010 Mercedes Benz, both reported stolen from the driveway of a township home, are related to the

All three vehicles had key fobs left inside at the time of the thefts, according to police. Police said they are investigating whether the incidents were connected, and whether the vehicles were targeted by a ring that is targeting luxury cars.

Police said a 48-year-old Kings Ridge Road resident filed a report on Dec. 22 at about 9 p.m., that two vehicles apparently had been stolen from the driveway of his residence.

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The vehicles reported stolen, with a combined value of about $165,000, are a tan 2011 BMW and a black 2010 Mercedes Benz, according to township police. Both vehicles were registered to the resident who filed the report, police said.

The car owner stated that he parked the BMW in the home's driveway—where the Mercedes already was parked—at approximately 8:15 p.m. that night, the police report said. The man told police that he was notified by his son at 8:55 p.m. that both the BMW and Mercedes Benz were being driven out of the driveway.

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The man was able to see both vehicles driving away from the residence toward Deer Ridge Road at a high rate of speed, according to township police.

The man stated that the key fobs for both vehicles had been left in the vehicles at the time of the theft, police said. He also reported to police that he had observed an unfamiliar vehicle on Kings Ridge Road at 8:15 p.m. as he approached his residence.

The vehicle was described as a brown older model sedan that may have been occupied by three individuals, police said.

"We are trying to determine if these thefts are connected or related to a previous motor vehicle theft of a 2011 Mercedes Benz  that occurred on Martinsville Road on September 20, 2011," Police Lt. Ted Reese said.

A key fob also had been left in that vehicle prior to the theft, he said. That vehicle was recovered  later in Belleville, he said.

"Information that has been gained from that investigation suggests that an organized group has been targeting high-end luxury cars throughout the central New Jersey region," Reese said.

Township police "continue to encourage residents to lock their vehicles and to not leave vehicle keys or key fobs in their vehicles," he said.


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