By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
A 2006 Jeep was stolen and another was broken into Friday at the Princeton Junction train station, while a third was recovered by police Saturday morning.
And yet another Jeep was reported broken into about a mile away, in the parking lot of Mathematica Policy Research, 600 Alexander Park.
The stolen vehicle was taken from the Vaughn Drive permit lot between 6:30 a.m. Friday and shortly after midnight that night. The Jeep, owned by a Princeton resident, is valued at $20,000. There were no witnesses or evidence found at the scene, police said.
The attempted theft of a 2005 Jeep on Friday morning in the same parking lot was also reported. The driver-side door lock and the ignition were damaged but an anti-theft device prevented the ignition from working. Nothing was disturbed or stolen from inside the vehicle, police said.
Also on Friday morning, the attempted theft of a 2006 Jeep was reported in the Mathematica parking lot. The driver’s side door lock and ignition were pried with a screwdriver that was found inside the vehicle. A $200 GPS system and a wallet valued at $80 were stolen. A fingerprint lifted off of the door lock will be analyzed.
The recovered vehicle, a 2001 Jeep Wrangler, is owned by Jersey Boring & Drilling Co. of Newark. The driver’s side door lock and ignition were damaged. A fingerprint was lifted from the driver’s side window frame and will be analyzed.
Police believe the vehicle was abandoned by the same person who is responsible for recent attempts to steal cars from the train station.
