RTPD Advisory Re: Home Invasions Leading to Stolen Vehicles

RTPD Advisory Re: Home Invasions
Leading to Stolen Vehicles

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ - (March 20, 2024) - The Robbinsville Township Police Department is asking its residents to be extra vigilant in protecting their homes and securing their vehicles.

The entire state of New Jersey has seen an increase in motor vehicle theft, as well as residential home burglaries. Unfortunately, Robbinsville is not immune. We are coordinating and strategizing with our law enforcement partners at the local, state, and federal levels to help combat these organized criminal operations. What we are finding is these criminals are entering homes throughout the state, usually in the early morning hours, with the intent to locate the vehicle key fobs of high-end, luxury vehicles. These coordinated band of criminals will exploit any vulnerability to obtain that key fob, and once it is located they quickly vacate the area with your vehicle.

So far this year, we have experienced two forced entry residential burglaries that resulted in the theft of a high-end, luxury vehicle. The first incident, earlier in the year, took place at a residence on Windmere Path at approximately 06:40, where a 2021 Mercedes Benz ‘G’ Wagon was stolen after forced entry through a rear slider door was made to obtain the vehicle fob.

The second incident occurred this morning on Sapphire Road at approximately 06:17, where a 2024 Range Rover Sport was stolen after forced entry to a rear door of the residence was made.

Please make sure you are locking all your doors and windows. If you have a home alarm, please make sure it is activated. If you hear or see anything suspicious, please call 911 immediately. RTPD cannot stress the importance of real time reporting of suspicious incidents by calling 911, or our non-emergency line at (609) 259-3900. Some examples of suspicious activity include: 

• An unfamiliar vehicle in your neighborhood that has driven past you numerous times (aka doing loops or surveying the area).
• Individuals wandering throughout your neighborhood that you do not recognize, and they appear to be nervous or acting suspiciously.
• Unregistered door-to-door solicitors – Robbinsville Township requires a solicitor permit.
• Anyone looking into parked vehicles or checking door handles to see if they are locked.
• Unfamiliar vehicles parked for extended periods of time.
• Anyone trying to conceal their identity – i.e., dark clothing, facial coverings, gloves, sunglasses, etc. while engaging in suspicious activities.

Our officers can be quickly dispatched to investigate these calls once reported. Robbinsville PD takes considerable pride in the quick and efficient service we provide 24/7 to our community. We also want to remind our residents that our Police Department has programs already in place to help you be more proactive.

You can complete a “Vacation Check Form” request to alert our department when you are away on vacation. Once this form is completed and submitted, we will send an officer to check on your home daily to allow you to have peace of mind while enjoying your vacation.

You can also register your video surveillance equipment through our CAPTURE program. The CAPTURE program will help our officers quickly identify nearby cameras that may have recorded criminal activity. After registering your camera, you will only be contacted by the Robbinsville Township Police Department if there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of your security camera system. Our officers, if necessary, may request to view your camera footage in order to assist in an investigation. By registering your system with its exterior cameras, you can help make Robbinsville Township an undesirable place for criminals to commit crime and keep your entire community safe.

Please go to our website to download these registration forms.
Some additional tips we can offer to better safeguard your home and vehicles:

• Ensure all doors, including interior garage doors, and windows are locked.
• Install a sliding glass door “blocking bar.” This can be done by inserting a metal or wooden bar or rod along your sliding door’s bottom track to prevent opening.
• Keep the exterior of your residence well illuminated.
• Activate your home and vehicle alarms.
• Do not leave key fobs in cars.
• Do not leave key fobs easily accessible or visible in the home.
• Remove any valuables from your vehicle or secure them so they are out of sight.
• Park luxury cars in the garage whenever possible.
• Steering wheel security devices are recommended.
• Review home surveillance recordings regularly and share footage of suspicious activity with local law enforcement.

We want to thank you for helping us keep Robbinsville Township safe. We are increasing our proactive neighborhood patrols and keeping an open line of communication with our law enforcement partners as we pursue these organized criminals.

-RTPD-