Home and Car Break-Ins Early Tuesday Morning in Florham Park

FLORHAM PARK, NJ - In the early hours of Tuesday, October 1st, there were break-in incidents in Florham Park involving attempts at entering a home and a car, that was running and occupied. There were multiple suspects involved, and a high speed car chase ensued from Columbia Turnpike to Routes 24 and 78.  The car involved in the chase was reported as stolen. The police released the following announcement regarding the incidents that occurred on Tuesday morning: This morning, just after 4 a.m., a few residences in our town were victimized by multiple suspects attempting to enter homes and in one case, attempting to enter an occupied running vehicle in a driveway. This is not unlike a similar residential burglary that occurred 10 days prior in which the criminals were successful in their crime.  As for last night, we’d like to provide some context around the crimes. At the time of the burglary attempts, our Officers were actively searching our streets and neighborhoods bordering Madison and Chatham after it was learned a stolen vehicle was observed in another town in their general direction.  Then the reports came in from the Spring Valley / Deerfield / Kice area describing the same suspect vehicle fleeing an attempted home burglary where the resident gave chase on foot until they fled in their vehicle.  A responding Officer found that vehicle turning onto Columbia Tpk westbound from Ridgedale Ave where it took off at a high rate of speed and was observed continuing to flee by various agencies on both 24 and 78 East and eventually lost. The vehicle used here was reported stolen from another town not too far from here several hours earlier, was known to have had a loaded handgun inside, and was observed in other towns in our general area shortly before our crimes.  Given the location of the previous known locations, generally east and southeast of us, Officers “hit the borders” to find it before it entered town, but it must have already gotten in.  Coincidentally, one of our Officers had been in the specific victimized area during his routine residential patrols just 10 minutes earlier. We don’t like putting this information out every time something happens or every time any crime happens because we have heard from residents that it can be scary and upsetting.  Yes, it is.  But, we also have a responsibility to provide awareness and we often find ourselves trying to decide how much is too much to share.  Know we don’t share everything on purpose, and that is usually why.  Of course, our reports are generally accessible public records and people can always request records on their own if they choose to know more.

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