High-End SUVs Stolen in Bernards, Bedminster

Yet another high-end luxury vehicle theft was reported last week to when two Land Rovers were apparently stolen on the same night in Bernards Township and in nearby Bedminster.

According to Bernards police, a Douglas Road resident notified police at about 10:15 p.m. last Wednesday that his 2008 Land Rover, worth about $45,000, had been stolen from his driveway. This was and all had keys or key fobs within.

The Douglas Road owner told police that he had parked the vehicle in the driveway at approximately 9:15 p.m., the police report said. The owner went into the house and left the vehicle running, and came out again and approximately 10 p.m. to find the vehicle gone, according to township police.

The owner was not able to provide any witness description because he did not see the vehicle being taken, police said, but the vehicle was recovered in Newark the next day, Thursday, according to township police. Bernards Township police detectives traveled to Newark to examine the recovered vehicle for forensic evidence, police said.

Another Land Rover was reported stolen from Bedminster Township on the same night, and Bernards Township police said they believe the two thefts are related.

Bernards Township and surrounding communities have experienced a number of high-end motor vehicle thefts in the past several months, township police said.

Most recently, police said they were trying to determine if the theft of a 2011 BMW and a 2010 Mercedes Benz, both reported stolen from the driveway of a Kings Ridge Road home on Dec. 22, are related to the

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

"We would like to remind our residents to lock their vehicles and to not leave the keys or key fobs in their vehicles," township police said on Friday.