On October 16, a resident of Heller Drive woke up in the middle of the night and found two unknown men inside of her residence with flashlights.
According to police, the woman at first believed it was her adult son and called out to him. When he did not answer, she looked closer and noticed two unknown individuals with flashlights. She then screamed and the suspects fled the scene. Entry was gained through a rear sliding glass door. No items were stolen during the incident.
The following additional activity has been reported by Montclair Police in their weekly blotter.
Burglary
October 11, 2023 (Marion Road): At approximately 3:05 AM the homeowner reported his alarm for the property went off. He proceeded downstairs to the first floor where he checked the alarm panel and was advised the area of activation was a kitchen window. The victim walked into his kitchen where he discovered the open window. A ladder was located underneath the open window. The Essex County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit responded to the scene for a track. The suspects were tracked by the K-9 unit east on Marion Road towards Norwood Avenue, before going south towards Norman Road. The scent was lost at the corner of Norwood Avenue and Norman Road.
October 15, 2023 (Alvin Place): The owner of Montclair Power Equipment reported that the business was burglarized at some point in the last month. Entry appears to have been gained via the top portion of the business’ garage door. Two motorcycles were taken from inside the business. In addition, a lock that secured a shipping container door was removed and missing. There were air conditioning units missing and a motorcycle taken out of the container but left on scene. An unknown number of tools were missing.
MV Crime / Entered Vehicles
October 10, 2023 (Lloyd Road): The victim reported that he arrived home and parked his 2022 Range Rover in the rear of his property but left the key fob within. A few moments later his wife alerted him that she observed two males running across their property and entering the vehicle. The suspects were able to take possession of the vehicle and were last seen east on Hoburg Place. The suspects were described as two males, one wearing light blue jeans, neon green & black colored gloves, black hooded sweatshirt, black mask, a baseball cap with what appears to be a yellow brim, and dark colored sneakers. The second was wearing all black clothing, black and yellow colored sneakers, black hooded sweatshirt, black mask, and a white undershirt.
October 11, 2023 (West Brookwood Drive): The resident reported that his surveillance system alerted him to an individual on his property. The suspect was seen entering his vehicle. The suspect entered the vehicle from the front passenger side door. The suspect was described as a male wearing a mask, dark colored hooded sweatshirt, camouflage style pants and dark colored sneakers. It was unknown what, if anything, was taken.
October 11, 2023 (Elmwood Avenue): The resident reported that his 2023 Mercedes Benz was entered during the overnight hours. The suspects also entered the victim’s second vehicle, a Nissan Rouge. Both vehicles were rummaged through.
October 14, 2023 (Stonebridge Road): The complainant reported that he parked his 2014 Ford Fusion on the street at approximately 8:00 AM and left the vehicle unattended while he worked in a nearby residence. Upon returning, he discovered that his wallet was missing from the car. Upon checking his online bank accounts, he discovered that a Wells Fargo card had been used at several locations in the City of Orange amounting to $2,500.00.
October 16, 2023 (Bellevue Avenue): The complainant reported that he parked his vehicle in a parking space directly in front of Java Love and left his vehicle running and unlocked while he entered the store to purchase a coffee. When he exited the store approximately one minute later, he noticed two individuals inside of his vehicle. He reported that there was a male in the passenger seat and a male in the driver seat. The victim yelled and the two suspects ran to a silver sedan which was waiting for them. The suspects were described as two juvenile males wearing surgical masks.
Suspicious Incident
October 15, 2023 (Bloomfield Avenue): The complainant reported that he pulled into the #1 pump at the Exxon with the intent of getting fuel for his vehicle. A male suspect wearing a reflective vest approached his vehicle and offered to provide refueling services. The complainant stated that he handed the suspect his credit card to pay, when an employee of the Exxon yelled at the suspect to stop what he was doing because he is not an Exxon employee. The complainant immediately took his credit card back without incident. A second male suspect wearing a pink sweatshirt walked over to the complainant’s vehicle holding what was described as a Jerry Can used for fuel. Suspect two used the Jerry Can to pour a liquid (initially believed to be gasoline) on the hood. Both suspects then fled and were last seen on Gates Avenue.