Four Vehicle Thefts Plus an Attempted Vehicle Theft In Less Than 48 Hours; Other Vehicles Entered

The Newark Police are investigating multiple thefts and attempted thefts of vehicles and property from within vehicles in a time period of less than 48 hours.  The incidents breakdown as follows:

• June 29, 2020 at 1040 hours in the 600 block of South College Ave – A delivery driver making a delivery left the vehicle unoccupied and running, with the door open.  The driver returned minutes later to find that the vehicle was missing.  The vehicle was later recovered on July 1st parked in the 100 block of East Main Street.
• June 30, 2020 at 1438 hours in the 100 block of East Main Street – Two male suspects attempted to steal a vehicle parked in the rear of a business.  The suspects are described as a white male, long hair and wearing a black tanktop, red pants and sneakers.  The second suspect is a white male, long hair and  wearing a white t-shirt, blue and gray shorts and white sneakers.  The suspects were unsuccessful in their attempt to start the vehicle and fled the area on foot.  While officers were investigating this attempted vehicle theft, they were advised that another vehicle in the parking lot had been entered.  Officers found that this vehicle had been left unsecured at the time of the theft and various personal property had been removed.
• June 30, 2020 at 1546 hours in the 200 block of East Delaware Ave – A vehicle was left unlocked and running outside of a business.  The driver returned minutes later to find that the vehicle was missing.  The vehicle was later recovered on July 1st in Philadelphia, PA.
• Between June 30, 2020 at 0630 hours and July 1, 2020 at 0630 hours at the Villa Belmont Condominiums on Welsh Tract Road – Unknown suspect(s) removed a gray 2015 Nissan Rogue, DE HP34366, from the parking lot.  While officers were investigating this vehicle theft, they were advised that two other vehicles in the parking lot had been entered.  Property was stolen from one and another was entered, but nothing was found to be missing.  Officers found that one of these vehicles had been left unsecured at the time of the theft.
• Between June 30, 2020 at 2000 hours and July 1, 2020 at 0700 hours in the Pinebrook Apartments on Paper Mill Road – Unknown suspect(s) removed a white 2012 Ford pick-up truck, Ohio GLW3049, from the parking lot.  A witness observed 6-7 black males in the parking lot near the vehicle.  They fled in the stolen vehicle when they saw the witness.  While some suspects fled in this stolen vehicle, others fled in other vehicles they arrived in.  One of these vehicles had been previously reported stolen to the New Castle County Police.  While officers were investigating this vehicle theft, they were advised by four other victims that their vehicles had been entered overnight and property had been removed.  Officers found that two of these vehicles had been left unsecured at the time of the theft.

The Newark Police continue to remind the public that many of the vehicle thefts and thefts from vehicles that we investigate involve unlocked vehicles.  Please remember to check that your vehicle is secured when it is parked.  The tips below can help members of the public prevent themselves from becoming a victim of theft.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact Det. W. Anderson at (302) 366-7100 x. 3469 or wanderson@newark.de.us.  Additional methods for providing information to Newark Police can be found on our tips page, where reward information may also be available.

The Newark Police Department is a member of the Neighbors by Ring App.  This app allows the Newark Police to inform the community of real-time crime and safety events so the public can always stay informed.  The Neighbors by Ring App also allows the user to share information, including footage from the user’s camera system, directly with Newark Police. You do not need Ring devices to participate.  Anyone with any camera system can upload content to the Neighbors App.  Newark Police DO NOT receive access to the camera system and can only see video the user chooses to share.   To download the free app, text “staysafe” to 555888 or search for the app on the Apple App Store or Google Play.  Remember: if you see something – share something – and report it to the Newark Police at (302) 366-7111 or 9-1-1.  More information can be found here.