OCEAN CITY – Ocean City announced the arrest of two juveniles for allegedly stealing three cars in Ocean City, Aug. 3, in the early morning hours.
According to a statement provided by the city, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., a BMW, Kia, and Jeep were stolen from outside homes in the Merion Park and Waterway Road neighborhoods. In the same timeframe, Ocean City police also recovered a vehicle that was stolen from Hammonton but did not say if it was used in the crime.
Wildwood Crest Police Department (WCPD), July 7, arrested three 15-year-olds from Millville who allegedly drove a vehicle stolen out of Millville to Wildwood Crest. WCPD officers located three cars with broken back side windows and steering columns that were disassembled and ignition wires exposed.
Some residents of Stone Harbor Manor helped foil attempted car burglaries in that area, July 20, when they questioned strangers trying to open the doors of high-end cars parked in driveways. Last year, several high-end automobiles were stolen out of nearby Avalon. Police have speculated that some shore communities are being targeted by car-theft rings.
“The crimes represent the continuation of a statewide trend of increased auto thefts,” a statement from Ocean City said.
Police there and in other towns are advising car owners to lock their cars and never leave key fobs or keys inside. Stone Harbor Police Chief Thomas Schutta said in a related interview that some high-end cars have sideview mirrors that will turn out when the fob is in the car, which is a signal to criminals that the car could be stolen.
In the incidents reported in Avalon, in 2022, thieves entered homes through unlocked doors and removed the car keys while the owners slept. Schutta advised residents and visitors to lock their cars and their residences.
Police recovered one of the vehicles stolen from Ocean City, but had not recovered the other two. Ocean City officials echoed the warning to safeguard key fobs and keep vehicles locked, noting that in recent years, cars that were stolen out of Ocean City had not been locked.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
