From Morris Township Police Chief Mark DiCarlo:
On Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, between 7:30 am and 8 am, an unknown black male attempted to enter vehicles parked at the Twin Oaks Tennis Club on Columbia Road.
The vehicles were locked and deterred the suspect. The suspect was scared off when a witness confronted him.
The same suspect, moments later entered an unlocked door of a home on Normandy Parkway. The residents were home but were not confronted by the suspect. The suspect located keys and cash and stole the resident’s vehicle. No was injured, no weapons were involved and no one was threatened.
The suspect is described as a 6-foot-tall black male, heavy set/stocky, wearing a red sweatshirt, black pants, backpack and a white hat. He appeared to be in his late teens or early 20’s.
The vehicle stolen is a Black 2018 Mazda CX5, NJ registration W33KRZ. The vehicle is still missing.
Earlier in the evening, at approximately 1 am, a white male (only description) was operating a possibly stolen motor vehicle on Columbia Road, coming from the direction of Florham Park.
The vehicle was damaged and came to a stop near the entrance of Twin Oaks Tennis Club.
The male attempted to gain entry into other vehicles, however the vehicles were locked. Witnesses reported that the white male ran off into the direction of the Frelinghuysen Field on Columbia Road. It is unknown if the white male and black male suspect and/or incidents are connected.
Anyone with information or camera footage that may assist our investigation is urged to contact the Morris Township Police Department: 973-539-0777 or 973-326-7480.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to lock your vehicle doors and residential doors. I understand that doing so makes us feel as though we live in an area that is unsafe or not secure. That is not the case.
The reality is that there are some individuals that will attempt to benefit from easy targets. The suspects moved on when they came across vehicles that were locked.
