NJ police chiefs, legislators back Sherrill's $150M fund to fight auto theft

MADISON — New Jersey's epidemic of suburban auto thefts is now a federal issue.

Local police chiefs and county sheriffs from across North Jersey joined a bipartisan coalition of elected officials on Monday to promote legislation in Washington to fight the problem.

The news conference in Madison was organized by U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-Montclair, who introduced a bill in Congress last week that would provide $150 million in grants over five years to local law enforcement, in response to a wave of auto thefts and stolen vehicle trafficking around the country.

Some of those vehicles are illegally sold to foreign markets. Others are used as untraceable transportation in violent crimes right here in New Jersey.

"It's not just your car getting stolen out of your driveway," said Col. Patrick Callahan, the head of the New Jersey State Police and one of more than a dozen speakers at the event. "It's an hour later that it's being used to shoot a teenager in a nearby city."

Sherrill, currently running for reelection in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, is cosponsoring the Auto Theft Prevention Act with Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican. She hopes to see Congress take up and pass the bill during its lame-duck session after the November election.

Standing on the steps of Madison's historic Hartley Dodge Memorial building, which serves as the borough's municipal hall, Sherrill echoed statistics that local and state officials have cited to illustrate the surge in auto thefts in recent years. High-end luxury vehicles are a particularly prized target, sought by crime rings that scour neighborhoods for key fobs left inside cars or in unlocked house.

According to state police data, a record 14,320 cars were reported stolen last year in New Jersey, representing a 22% rise in thefts from 2020. By August of this year, 9,000 vehicles had been stolen, state police reported. That put New Jersey on pace for 17,000 by the end of 2022, "a trend that poses not only a threat to property, but a real safety risk," Sherrill said.

In Washington, she learned that "this is not just a New Jersey problem."

"Nationally, almost 500,000 vehicles worth an estimated $4.5 billion were stolen in the first half of 2022," Sherrill said. That represented a 25% increase in thefts compared with the first half of 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, she said.

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Sherrill's and Bacon's bill would provide $30 million annually over five years to create a competitive grant program. The money would fund new hiring, equipment and technology and other resources to target the increasingly brazen crime rings, who in New Jersey have been known to use children as young as 13 to scout for vehicles.

Sherrill's Republican opponent in the election, Paul DeGroot, did not immediately respond to messages on Monday. In a meeting last week with The Record and NorthJersey.com editorial board, DeGroot, a former Passaic County assistant prosecutor, said he would make law-and-order issues a priority if elected, including car thefts and burglaries. DeGroot said he would fight for more federal funding for police and better coordination among authorities at all levels.

Authorities say there's a simple way for owners to protect their cars: Lock the doors and take your keys with you. But plenty of careless residents don't do so, making the New Jersey suburbs an easy hunting ground. The tech-savvy thieves, police say, look for new, unlocked luxury models with fobs left inside. If the fob is not there, they often will look for an open door to enter homes, find the key and make a quick getaway, according to police.

In Morris County this year, 89% of vehicle thefts have involved keys or key fobs left in a vehicle. Of these, 61% were stolen from residences and another 23% at commercial locations.

Speakers at the event included state Sens. Anthony Bucco, R-Boonton, and Richard Codey, D-Essex, who in August co-sponsored their own bipartisan bill in the state Legislature to increase penalties for adults and juveniles participating in organized efforts to steal vehicles and burglarize homes.

The crime wave has led to an increase in police chases of suspected car thieves that often result in crashes, property damage and injury. In July, the pursuit of an allegedly stolen Mercedes ended in a fiery crash that knocked out utility service for thousands in central Morris County; in September, police conducted an hours-long manhunt around the Boonton Reservoir before eventually arresting five men accused of ditching a stolen Porsche.

"This is a crisis, no doubt about it," Bucco said. "These car thefts are getting more and more dangerous, not only in terms of the public, but for the law enforcement personnel who are out there trying to protect us. Our bill, hopefully along with the congresswoman's legislation, will help to give them the resources they need to help them protect our friends and neighbors."

"It's a big business, and it strikes to our own heart that we're not safe in our own homes," added Codey, a former state Senate president and acting governor. "So let's get state legislation done, and the federal done, right away."

Sherrill referred to the speakers at the event as evidence of an "all-hands-on-deck effort here across the state to address this challenge."

Other speakers included New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura, Passaic County Undersheriff Kevin Dickson and Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll.

"In the state, we have been doing everything we can to combat the rise in auto theft," said Platkin, a graduate of Madison High School. "We have a long way to go. But with these partnerships and with these dollars, we can get this problem under control."

Federal dollars, Platkin said, can help pay for technologies such as automated license plate readers, gun-violence detection sensors and other modern tools of the trade.

The problem is not limited to thefts of expensive cars in wealthy suburbs. Through September of this year, Dickson said, "we've seen more than 900 auto thefts in Passaic County alone, about a 15% increase over the same time last year."

Fontoura said if the news conference had been held outside in Newark, instead of Madison, they might even have seen "a stolen car chase go by."

Codey and Bucco said they also hope to get their bill on Gov. Phil Murphy's desk before the end of the year.

"I spoke to the Senate president last night and told him in no uncertain terms, ASAP," Codey said. "He got the message."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Sherrill Auto Theft Prevention Act backed at NJ bipartisan rally