Carjacking in Montrose

I hesitate to post this here for fear of it turning into a political discussion, but I think it is important that people are aware of this crime so they can be on the lookout and hopefully prevent any others:

http://southorange.org/Police/blotter.asp

4/21/2014
Carjacking
A Montvale resident stated that on Saturday 4-19-14 at approximately 11:30pm he was pulling into a driveway on Irving Ave. when he was robbed at gunpoint by two masked actors. The victim stated that he was about to exit his vehicle (2009 Mercedes) along with his female friend when the actors approached the vehicle on foot in the driveway and demanded their property and the vehicle. After obtaining the victim's property the actors fled in the stolen vehicle east on Irving Ave. An Officer observed the carjacked vehicle along with another suspect vehicle on Centre St. and engaged in a pursuit of same into the city of Newark. The pursuit lasted a short period of time before terminating same. The actors are both being described as black males wearing ski masks and approximately 6'0" in height and believed to be in their 20's or early 30's. The Detective Bureau is investigating the incident.

Maybe Im not reading this correctly, but the pursuit ended without the suspects being apprehended?

seaweed said:

Maybe Im not reading this correctly, but the pursuit ended without the suspects being apprehended?

Correct. Last night we had cops on the street with search lights looking from the street down driveways. It was rather unsettling.

Terrible... but glad the victim or his friend were not hurt...

I don't understand why the pursuit was terminated.

Possibly a safety issue or they lost sight of the criminals? Just a thought.

Unsettling. I would think once they enter Newark the Newark police gets involved.
Glad no one got hurt.

Thanks for the post, Michael. It is always good to be reminded to stay alert.

The police can't risk a high speed pursuit in a city. There are too many chances that someone uninvolved will be injured or killed. I'm glad no one was hurt. The car is just a car.

Hope this is not a revival of the carjacking gang Essex County thought it has just broken up....

This is from the police blotter. Happened same day, wonder if it's related. Equally as scary.

Burglary to dwelling/theft of vehicle: Zone3
A Lenox Ave. resident stated that on Saturday 4-19-14 at approximately 4:40am he awoke to find an actor in his hallway. The victim stated that it appeared the actor was holding a weapon possibly a handgun however, the actor fled the scene upon seeing the victim and in doing so removed the victim's vehicle (2002 Lexus) from the driveway. The actor was wearing dark clothing and a ski type of mask covering his face. The Detective Bureau is investigating the incident

Not that the above incident is not frightening but this one....
Burglary to dwelling/theft of vehicle
A Lenox Ave. resident stated that on Saturday 4-19-14 at approximately 4:40am he awoke to find an actor in his hallway. The victim stated that it appeared the actor was holding a weapon possibly a handgun however, the actor fled the scene upon seeing the victim and in doing so removed the victim's vehicle (2002 Lexus) from the driveway. The actor was wearing dark clothing and a ski type of mask covering his face. The Detective Bureau is investigating the incident

Thats the one I posted - I think they may be related since the occured on the same day.

Any details on how the person gained access into the home?

More frightening - the Lenox Ave burglary is 3 houses down from another just 2 weeks ago.

Criminals are thinking that the South Orange Police force is spread too thin.

truth said:

Criminals are thinking that the South Orange Police force is spread too thin.

BS.

I am not sure how one would know what "criminals" are thinking. Unless of course they told you.

I don't @truth meant it in that way. Maybe he/she meant that since crimes are being committed in S.O. and a few remain unsolved, that perhaps S.O. is the "go to" spot criminal activity.

We can't pretend this hasn't been happening for quite sometime. We've had home invasions, petty theft, robbing at gunpoint and carjackings. There IS a reason why they come to S.O. Is it our proximity to Newark, Orange and Irvington? Maybe. Is it the SHU campus? Maybe. Is it because when crimes are committed and no one has been caught, criminals tell the others how easy it is to get away with a crime in S.O.? Who knows. I would like to see a drop if possible because summer is near and we all know the issues warm weather brings.

FWIW the incident where a teen was mugged on Prospect was solved by the SOPD. They do a great job! These things happen in all our towns for all the reasons noted above. We can't deny that proximity to Newark and Orange is the main reason.

kibbegirl said:

I don't @truth meant it in that way. Maybe he/she meant that since crimes are being committed in S.O. and a few remain unsolved, that perhaps S.O. is the "go to" spot criminal activity.

We can't pretend this hasn't been happening for quite sometime. We've had home invasions, petty theft, robbing at gunpoint and carjackings. There IS a reason why they come to S.O. Is it our proximity to Newark, Orange and Irvington? Maybe. Is it the SHU campus? Maybe. Is it because when crimes are committed and no one has been caught, criminals tell the others how easy it is to get away with a crime in S.O.? Who knows. I would like to see a drop if possible because summer is near and we all know the issues warm weather brings.

I would suspect that for a carjacking proximity is key. They walk into town and drive out.

I've been told this by several members of the Police Department.
I don't believe there has been an arrest for the Kilburn Place carjacking that took place the same evening as the Short Hills murder carjacking and now there seem to be two more South Orange carjackings. I see a trend.

I think it may be more organized than people walking from Newark. Maybe dropped off in an area, looking for opportunities for high end cars.

I have said this before and I'm going keep saying this until someone listens to what I'm say. I fully understand that the gaslights give South Orange quaint old town feel. The reality is the gaslights do not give off enough light to make a criminal think twist about committing a crime. Criminals love dimly light place to committed their crime, because then they are very hard to see. 90% of the streets in South Orange are only have dim gaslights to light them. I personally very strongly feel for the safety of the residents and guests of South Orange that the same very bright street lights that are on South Orange Ave be put between the gaslights on every street in South Orange. I know it is going to be expensive to do this, but I feel it is definitely worth the cost to keep people safe.

Effectiveness of gaslights is one topic, and a valid one, but I sincerely doubt this would prevent a targeted armed car jacking in somebody's driveway.

Hahaha said:

kibbegirl said:

I don't @truth meant it in that way. Maybe he/she meant that since crimes are being committed in S.O. and a few remain unsolved, that perhaps S.O. is the "go to" spot criminal activity.

We can't pretend this hasn't been happening for quite sometime. We've had home invasions, petty theft, robbing at gunpoint and carjackings. There IS a reason why they come to S.O. Is it our proximity to Newark, Orange and Irvington? Maybe. Is it the SHU campus? Maybe. Is it because when crimes are committed and no one has been caught, criminals tell the others how easy it is to get away with a crime in S.O.? Who knows. I would like to see a drop if possible because summer is near and we all know the issues warm weather brings.

I would suspect that for a carjacking proximity is key. They walk into town and drive out.

Not necessarily. It's usually a 2-3 man operation. They drive into S.O. to trail a car they want to jack. One person gets out to threaten the driver and steal the car. That person drives away with stolen vehicle and the car they all came in follows.

@MickeyMouse - I agree with you. The lights are charming and cozy but you can't really see as you could with typical street lights. We've wired our back yard, driveway and sides of the house for auto lighting. Even with good flood lighting and bright sconces in the front of the house, it's still difficult to see who's coming up your walk when the sun goes down.

Are there neighborhood watches in Montrose Park and all over South Orange? If not I very strongly suggest that they start neighborhood watches with 3 people watching the big long streets and 2 people watching the small streets like First Street every night. This another way to make sure the South Orange is safe.

MickeyMouse said:

Are there neighborhood watches in Montrose Park and all over South Orange? If not I very strongly suggest that they start neighborhood watches with 3 people watching the big long streets and 2 people watching the small streets like First Street every night. This another way to make sure the South Orange is safe.

Janine Buckner, the SO Resident/Coordinator, sends out a well organized and thorough blast to Village residents complete with the phone number to SOPD, the Community Relations person as well as helpful downloads.

I'm against individuals standing watch simply because we aren't equipped to navigate dangerous situations. Lay people need to leave the crime work to SOPD.

@kmkks @browneyes is this the Lenox Avenue btwn Wyoming and Ridgewood, near the South Orange/Maplewood border? I live two blocks from that street but hadn't heard anything - please post more details or PM me as I'd like to discuss with neighbors. thanks!

There are ways (already implemented in historic neighborhoods in other suburbs and cities) to reduce vehicle and foot traffic in Montrose Park, reducing crime:

#1 block off entry to Scotland Rd at every other street with curb and appx 10 feet of evergreens where the current opening to the streets are. (wouldn't know there was ever a street opening there).

#2 make the remaining streets that intersect with Scotland Rd. One-Way streets.

This will reduce traffic, and really make accessibility to Montrose more difficult for those who do not live in the neighborhood; therefore reducing the crime.

Torpey lives extremely close to where this occurred, may be he would be a proponent.