Sprees target 46 vehicles in both towns
By Vic Monaco and Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writers
Eight teenagers have been charged and one was being sought Thursday in connection with separate sprees of vandalism and theft from close to 50 vehicles in East Windsor and Hightstown.
The incidents involved nearly $5,000 in stolen items and cash from 20 vehicles in the township and about $5,000 worth of damage to 26 vehicles in the borough.
In East Windsor, the incidents took place between Nov. 4 and Saturday, and police took five of the teenagers into custody between Sunday and Tuesday. A 17-year-old boy of Morrison Avenue, Hightstown, was still wanted Thursday by township police on 13 counts of burglary to vehicles and one count of receiving stolen property.
Township police said they took a 17-year-old Princeton Arms West boy into custody at his residence Nov. 9 for possession of stolen property, which they reported was a $6,500 watch stolen from New York City. He was being detained Thursday at the Mercer County Youth Correction Facility. The ensuing investigation led to the other arrests and charges, according to police.
Colleen Gabriel, 18, of Madison Drive, and Joseph Platizky, 18, of Twin Rivers Drive North, were charged, respectively, with 18 and 13 counts of burglary to vehicles, and both were charged with one count each of receiving stolen property and employing a juvenile in a crime. They were being held Thursday in the Mercer County Correction Facility in default of $25,000 bail each.
A 16-year-old Garrison Place girl was charged with eight counts of burglary to vehicles and one count of stolen property. A 16-year-old girl of South Rochdale Drive, Roosevelt, was charged with 17 counts of burglary to a vehicle and one count of receiving stolen property and then detained at the county Youth Correction Facility.
The vehicles entered in each of the incidents were unlocked, township police said, with the exception of a vehicle parked at the Days Inn on Route 33. Between Nov. 7 and Saturday, police said the passenger window of that vehicle was smashed, and a $250 Lowran GPS unit was taken.
Township police said the vehicles were parked on Brownstone Road, Garrison Place, Farrington Place, Monmouth Street, Berwick Circle, Sousa Court, Lockewood Lane, Conover Road, Wendover Road, Klee Court and at the Orchard apartments complex.
Among the items stolen were a laptop valued at $1,200; two Garmin GPS units; two key fobs valued together at $500; a 14-karat gold class ring valued at $400; a Silver Olympus Digital Camera valued at $350; a black leather Coach wallet valued at $170; Coach sunglasses valued at $130, Oakley sunglasses valued at $135; a Gameboy valued at $100; an mp3 player; and two cell phones. In addition, about $363 in cash was stolen, with $200 taken from one vehicle.
The ring was later recovered by township police at a pawnshop in New York City. It was unclear at press time if anything else had been recovered.
In Hightstown, after a separate probe, three area juveniles were charged with causing about $5,000 in damage last weekend to 26 vehicles and stealing a street sign near the Walter C. Black School.
An angry schools Superintendent Ron Bolandi said that if the regional district’s own probe shows that its students were responsible, “we’re going to, absolutely, seek restitution and discipline our children.”
Borough police said this week that the damage and theft was done between 10 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday by a 12-year-old from the Orchards in East Windsor, a 13-year-old from Stockton Street, and a 12-year-old from Cedar Lane in East Windsor.
The vehicles were parked in driveways and along the streets of Oak Lane, Stockton Street, Hutchinson Street, Harron Avenue, Park Avenue, Park Way and Morrison Avenue. They were scratched, and tires were slashed using a knife. Police indicated nothing was stolen from the cars.
The juveniles were arrested after a resident observed the juveniles in the area and recognized them from the previous night, and alerted police. Each of the juveniles was charged with criminal mischief, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, theft of moveable property and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Each was released to the custody of their parents.