Man Arrested At Hazlet Car Dealership After Resident Calls Police

HAZLET, NJ — When a resident saw an SUV with its headlights off circling a Route 35 car dealership, the resident called police, and now a 20-year-old Essex County man has been arrested, Hazlet police said.

Police saw a man on foot at the dealership, trying to get back into the SUV, but the vehicle sped off, leaving the suspect behind.

Arrested was Matthew Calder, 20, from East Orange. He was in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold, charged with theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy, burglary to a motor vehicle, criminal mischief, eluding a police officer, obstruction of the administration of the law and having burglary tools, according to the Police Records Department in Hazlet.

Calder is awaiting a bail hearing, police said.

According to a police report, the incident began on Tuesday at about 1:40 a.m.:

A resident called the police department when they saw the SUV around the Buhler Car dealership on Highway 35.

Officer Nicholas Pasquenza and K-9 Officer Cody Sachs went to the dealership and saw the flashing lights and alarm sounding of a vehicle in the dealership's parking lot.

Police also saw a dark-colored SUV on the side of Holmdel Road with the lights off. When the officers approached the area, the SUV started pulling away, police said in the report.

Pasquenza then observed a male wearing all black running in the parking lot in the direction of Bayview Avenue toward the vehicle that had just taken off, police said.

Pasquenza and Sachs were able to apprehend the male who was running as he tried to get into the moving SUV. The vehicle then sped away and was not able to be stopped, police said.

"We would like to thank the Good Samaritan for their commitment to keeping the town of Hazlet safe and notifying the police department in a timely manner so that the suspect was able to be caught," police said.