MARGATE Police here are searching for suspects who stole two motor vehicles from separate residences during the early morning hours of Wednesday, Feb. 23.
In a press release police said a homeowner awoke to find his 2019 Range Rover was missing from his driveway. A check of the victim's home surveillance footage revealed that a few hours earlier, two men forcing open a first floor window and of them entered the home through the window and rifled through a purse containing the keys to the vehicle. Surveillance footage then shows the vehicle pulling out of the driveway.
Police used the vehicle's tracking system to located it at a rest stop on the Garden State Parkway.
Although NJ State Police were alerted, they were unable to locate the vehicle. However, multiple personal items were located at the rest stop belonging to the owner of the Land Rover along with that of another victim, which led Margate officers to a second residence in town.
Police made contact with the owner of the second vehicle, who not in town at the time but advised officers he owned a 2019 Dodge Durango which should have been parked in the driveway of his residence. When officers arrived there, the Durango was missing. A check of the second victim's residence by officers led them to discover entrance was made into the garage where the suspects located a set of keys to the Durango.
Officers then reviewed surveillance footage obtained from the Downbeach Express toll booth on Jerome Avenue which revealed the stolen Land Rover, Dodge Durango and another vehicle making its way out of Margate around 5:30 a.m. after paying the toll. The suspects faces in the video were all covered with some type of face covering.
The case is being investigated by Officer Steve Edelbach of the Margate Police Department. This is an ongoing investigation at this time and any new details will be released when they become available.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Margate City Police at 609-822-1151.
