Mysterious Rash Of Little League Thefts Expands To 7 NJ Counties – Cherry Hill, NJ Patch

A very strange pattern of burglaries and thefts is taking place at the most unlikely places across New Jersey: Little League concession stands.

Police in seven counties are now seeking information on suspects in burglaries of Little League snack stands. Two counties have even released photographs of possible suspects.

The latest report came from Camden County, where police are investigating a burglary at the North Camden Little League snack stand this week.

Overall, police are asking for help in tracking down suspects who broke into at least 27 concession stands at Little League, school and community recreation fields since April.

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office says the burglaries, which began after April 24, were also reported in Morris, Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, Passaic and Sussex counties.

Another recent break-in happened sometime between the evening of Wednesday and the morning of Thursday at a concession stand at Overpeck County Park in Paramus, police said.

According to authorities, many of the break-ins involve significant damage to the doors of the structures and theft of cash, candy, beverages and other items.

Surveillance images of a man and woman whom authorities suspect targeted the concession stands were captured at the Woodbridge Little League concession stand on Van Buren Street in Woodbridge. Additional images were captured at stands in Teaneck and Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County.

The largest theft so far netted the perpetrators as much as $700 in cash authorities said. Beyond cash or items stolen, the thieves caused significant damage while breaking in. Some local businesses have stepped forward to assist with paying for repairs, authorities said.

Morris County Sheriff’s Office Systems Analyst Jane Recktenwald, who oversees the Office Trends and Analysis Unit known as MCSTAT, is gathering and assessing data and working cooperatively with police in all the affected municipalities on the crime they have in common.

“This is a prime opportunity for law enforcement agencies to share intelligence to apprehend perpetrators who are stealing from children, their families, schools and recreation programs that count on concession stand sales to support Little League and other sport activities,” Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.

Recktenwald said concession stand operators are advised to remove cash from the premises upon closing and try to secure or lock up candy, beverages and other sale items while police are advised to make frequent checks of concession stands in their communities.

In North Camden, the crime occurred at the snack stand building near the corner of 6th and Erie Streets on Wednesday, according to Camden County police.

Items stolen from the kitchen area inside the building included a flat-top grill, refrigerators, a water ice freezer, a deep fryer, coolers and a microwave, along with food and beverages such as hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, soda and Gatorade, plastic containers and cutlery, police said.

Police released photograph of a white pickup truck that was used to take some of the kitchen equipment from the building, as well as a photograph of a suspect pushing a water ice freezer away from the building.

If you have any information about this crime or any of the suspects involved, please call the Camden County Police Department tip line at (856) 757-7042.

Morris and Passaic counties have been targeted most frequently so far, with eight concession stands reportedly burglarized in each authorities said.

Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) detectives are assisting in the investigations, including collection of evidence, within Morris County.

The Morris County burglaries include:

  • Parsippany-Troy Hills E. Little League on May 2;
  • Jefferson Parks Department concession stand between May 11 and May 13;
  • Burnham Park Little League concession stand between May 15 and May 16.
  • Lake Parsippany Park concession stand between May 24 and May 27;
  • Madison High School concession stand between May 31 and June 1;
  • Dodge Field in Madison concession stand between May 31 and June 2;
  • Anderson Field in Kinnelon concession stand between June 6 and June 7;
  • Donatoni Park concession stand, Rockaway Borough, break-in reported June 20.

Bergen County authorities are investigating related burglaries at four stands in:

  • Elmwood Park
  • Paramus
  • Teaneck
  • Hasbrouck Heights

In Essex County, stands were burglarized in:

  • Belleville
  • Livingston
  • Verona

In Middlesex County, a concession stand was broken into in Woodbridge.

In Passaic County, thieves burglarized the same stand twice in Totowa, two separate fields in Clifton, and stands in Wayne, Paterson, Little Falls and Bloomingdale.

In Sussex County, two stands in Stanhope Borough were burglarized.

With reporting by Russ Crespolini, Patch Staff