Uptick In Vehicle Crime Addressed By Parsippany Mayor

PARSIPPANY, NJ — In light of a recent escalation in vehicle crime around Parsippany, Mayor James Barberio addressed resident's concerns during this week's township council meeting.

According to Public Information Officer Brian Conover, a rash of car break-ins occurred during the early morning hours of Thanksgiving. A total of 28 attempted or completed vehicle burglaries took place in the parking lots of three area hotels.

Twenty cars were broken into at the Sheraton Hotel, which is located on Smith Road; four cars were broken into at the Hyatt House; and four cars were broken into at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites.

"Our detectives have been investigating those crimes and have made arrests. Unfortunately, these kinds of smash-and-grab burglaries have become very common in New Jersey and similar incidents have occurred in other nearby jurisdictions in Morris County. They are crimes of opportunity," Barberio said.

In response to the rash of recent burglaries, the Parsippany Police Department has increased patrols at all hotel and motel parking lots in the township.

Just last week, another man from West Orange was arrested in Parsippany after police said he was seen attempting to break into parked cars in town.

In a previous statement, Richard Pantina, Parsippany's police chief, said that the police department has made some changes to reallocate the department's "manpower" to where it is most needed to help combat any crime trends.

Patrols have increased in residential areas and the department is rolling out different techniques, tactics, and technology to help further reduce and hopefully eliminate these incidents.

"Be aware that these incidents are happening not only in Parsippany, but across New Jersey. We share the same sentiments and frustration that other Police Departments and local governments have expressed regarding the rise in crime, which we contribute in part to Bail Reform," Pantina said.

"While these investigations are ongoing, we ask residents to please be diligent and take all of their valuables, specifically all of their purses, wallets, laptops and key fobs, out of the vehicles at all times. We are all in this together; please remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior," Barberio said.

According to a previous report from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Parsippany has been designated as one of the major hotspots in Morris County. Popular vehicles targeted by thieves include BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Honda.

Morris County accounts for 1.1 percent of all stolen vehicles in the state. So far in 2023, 72 percent of vehicles stolen in Morris County have been left unlocked.

The Parsippany Police Department has often been described as understaffed by Barberio, mainly due to a hiring freeze imposed by the previous administration, which reduced the town to 81 deployable officers from more than 100 five years ago.

On Tuesday, Barberio restated the township's commitment to the police department, stating that the town is working on beefing up the local police force in the coming years.

"I would like to congratulate the five new police officers who graduated from the academy in keeping with my commitment to public safety and ensuring that we get back to the necessary manpower after the last administration decimated the numbers. We are getting more officers on the streets," Barberio said.