Police officials in Newark are asking owners of police-type vehicles to be especially vigilant about not leaving their cars running and to be aware of their surroundings when entering or exiting their cars.
Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement, “In the last few months we had several crimes committed in which the perpetrators were driving stolen police-type vehicles.
According to Director Ambrose, the latest was a drive-by shooting near the intersection of Stratford Place and Avon Avenue on Monday afternoon, when a 52-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being hit by a bullet at about 6:30 p.m.
The shots came from a dark blue Chevy Tahoe, the type of SUV and color used by many police departments and was believed to have been stolen earlier in the day Director Ambrose said.
“I can think of a half-dozen incidents where the criminal actors were using stolen black or dark colored Crown Victorias,” Ambrose said. “One was a used police vehicle, which was sold with the lights still in the grill,” Director Ambrose said.
Newark Officials say, in Newark this year, 462 cars have been stolen and 162 were left idling by their owners as they ran errands or closed or opened driveway gates.
“That’s more than one-third,” Ambrose said. “Obviously, it’s a preventable crime.”