Monday, May 6, 2013
John F. Clarke had been involved with numerous car burglaries over the past decade, according to police.
Wyckoff Police arrested a man Sunday who they say had been entering parked cars and stealing cash and credit cards from women’s purses. John F. Clarke, age 50, whose last known address was in the Bronx, has family in the Wyckoff area and has been arrested numerous times over the last decade for similar crimes, police said. “In the past, Clarke had committed these burglaries at churches,” said Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox. “He would stroll through the church parking lot, knowing that church would end at a certain time, and look for purses in vehicles." When he found a purse he'd simply try to open the car door. "If it opened, he would take cash and/or credit cards and place everything else back as it was," Fox said. Clarke was involved…
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Cash and jewelry were stolen from one Franklin Lakes home while another nearby burglary attempt was unsuccessful.
Two Franklin Lakes homes were targeted by burglars Monday, according to borough police. One of those homes with an unlocked back door was succesfully burglarized while the other would-be burglar ran off. An Arapaho Trail resident reported that his home had been broken into between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, Franklin Lakes Police Lt. John Bakelaar said Tuesday. Bedrooms in the home had been ransacked and a yet-to-be-determined amount of cash and jewelry was taken, cops said. Burglars gained access to the home through an unlocked rear door. Also on Monday, a resident of Water View Drive, some two miles away from Arapaho Trail, reported seeing a suspicious male attempting to enter her home through the rear door just before 2 p.m…
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Three high-end cars have been reported stolen from borough residents since Friday morning.
Three cars stolen between Friday, April 12, and Monday, April 15, have prompted Franklin Lakes Police to renew calls for borough residents to protect their vehicles. “I would once again like to remind people lock their cars every night,” said Detective Lieutenant John Bakelaar. “The mistake a lot of people make is that they know there is a cycle of crime and once that cycle seems to end they go back to their old habits. This is something they need to do always and forever. Lock your cars and don’t leave valuables in your car.” A 2008 Cadillac was reported stolen Friday by a Sunset Terrace resident. The vehicle had been parked at the front of the home and was apparently stolen during overnight hours. A resident on Old Forge Lane and a …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The homeowner was away when the crime occurred, and police are unsure how the burglars got into the home.
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Wednesday, March 6
Police have no idea how burglars gained access to a Wyckoff residence last week while the homeowner was out of town. The Circle Drive burglary was first reported to cops on Sunday, March 3, according to Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox. "The house, which had been vacant for a week while the homeowner was away, showed no sign of forced entry," he said. Burglars made their way to the master bedroom, looting drawers and closets there, but apparently left the rest of the house untouched, police said. Jewelry and designer handbags of an as-of-yet indeterminate value were reported stolen, Fox said. Detective Sgt. Michael Musto, Sgt. Dale Winters and Patrolman Kevin Pinches investigated. In 2013 so far, Wyckoff Police said there have been a …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Paul Garnere, 29, was charged with the theft. Everett Wilson, 30, was charged with hindering in his own apprehension.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Two Upstate New York men were arrested Monday after Wyckoff Police say they were involved in the theft of a gas station attendant's cell phone. The attendant had left his phone on a desk inside the Getty Gas station at 322 Franklin Ave., according to police, when four men entered the building to use the restroom there. The attendant returned to retrieve his cell phone and noticed it was missing. He confronted the men, all of whom denied the accusation and fled the scene. "Police were notified and the vehicle was stopped on Wyckoff Avenue," according to Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox. Cops saw the phone in the vehicle and all four men were taken into custody, according to Wyckoff Police. Following an investigation and interviews, Paul …
Monday, October 15, 2012
Thieves hit the bedrooms of the Valley View Drive North home and escaped before the homeowner returned to discover the burglary early Sunday morning .
Burglars struck at the home of a Franklin Lakes resident near the Colonial Road entrance of Route 208 this weekend, according to police. A Valley View Drive North resident returned home just after midnight early Sunday morning to find that someone had broken into the home through the front door, he then called police to report the break-in, borough cops said Monday morning. Officers arrived on the scene in less than five minutes, according to a police report, confirmed the break in and began an investigation. Cops found jewelry strewn about the first floor, according to the report. They also found footprints at the home, but refused to provide additional information regarding the prints, which had been presumably left by quickly moving …
Friday, September 28, 2012
Police believe workers hired by homeowners may have snatched four diamond and sapphire rings valued at $40,000 from one township home
Two Wyckoff families had thousands of dollars of jewelry stolen from inside their homes this month, according to township police. One resident had four diamond and sapphire rings valued at $40,000 taken from a bedroom closet, and another had a $1,500 gold ring taken from their kitchen, Wyckoff Police said earlier this week. The $40,000 rings were reported stolen from a Highview Drive home on Sunday, Sept. 23, but discovered missing on Sept. 5, according to police. The Highview Drive residents had two different house cleaners and attempted to initially solve the alleged theft on their own before contacting police. The $1,500 ring was reported stolen from a Howard Street home on Tuesday, Sept. 25, and is believed to have been taken earlier …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Aztec Trail homeowner tells police two short hispanic men in their twenties tried to illegally enter his Franklin Lakes residence
Authorities were unable to apprehend either of the two men who attempted to break into an Aztec Trail home Monday afternoon, according to Franklin Lakes Police. Two men attempted to illegally enter the man's home at approximately 2 p.m. Monday, the man told borough cops. One of the men tried to force his way through a rear sliding door and the second man tried to force his way through a garage door, but both were unsuccessful and the homeowner contacted police. The homeowner made visual contact with the suspects who then moved around to the side of the house nearest to Creole Lane, at which point he lost sight of them, according to a police report. Borough police responded and the Bergen County Police K-9 unit was called in to track the …
Friday, September 21, 2012
Lee A. Malsch, of Paterson, was arrested Friday for the July 26, 2011, burglary of a Nancy Lane home.
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Friday, September 21, 2012
The aggressive pursuit by two Wyckoff Police detectives of the person cops believe is responsible for the July 2011 burglary of a Nancy Lane home has led to the arrest of a 51 year old Paterson man, according to Wyckoff Police. Lee A. Malsch, who is last known to have resided on 40th Street in Paterson, was arrested by Wyckoff Police Friday and charged with burglary and theft. Malsch was unofficially dubbed the “motorcycle burglar,” after he was observed by a neighbor fleeing from the home after activating an alarm, police said Friday. The Nancy Lane homeowner was arriving home at the same time and passed the motorcycle on her street before she knew her home had been burglarized; almost $3,000 worth of jewelry was stolen, officials said. …
Franklin Lakes resident discovered the burglary around 4 p.m. on Thursday
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Friday, September 21, 2012
Burglars struck a borough home Thursday, forcing open the side door of one Dogwood Trail home and stealing jewerly, according to Franklin Lakes Police. The Dogwood Trail resident arrived home Thursday at approximately 4 p.m. to discover their home had been broken into and their master bedroom plundered, according to police. Unknown persons forced open a side door and headed straight for the master bedroom, where police say jewelry stolen. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Department processed the scene and Franklin Lakes officers Sgt. Karl Klein and Detective Anthony Pacelli investigated. Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Joseph M. Gerace at Joseph.Gerace@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox …
Noelle Muller
2:43 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
Im still trying to figure out what he stole out of my home. God knows he didnt leave empty handed. Again, let me reiterate - wing ding. more ›