Careful where you leave your car in NJ: Thieves strike parking lots

🚨The vehicles were parked at three hotels in Parsippany on Thanksgiving

🚨Two more BMWs parked at home were also burglarized

PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS — Thieves tried to break into over two dozen cars parked outside hotels on Thanksgiving.

Parsippany police spokesman Remo D’Alessandro told News 12 there were 20 attempted or successful burglaries at vehicles at the Sheraton, four at the Hyatt House, and another four at the Holiday Inn and Suites.

Two BMWs were stolen from residences on Cherry Lane and Sedgewick Drive on Sunday, D’Alessandro said.

D’Alessandro told News 12 that one suspect was arrested.

Windows were broken in some cases to get into the vehicles, D’Alessandro told NorthJersey.com.

The hotel made an attractive target for car thieves because it was the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to D'Alessandro. He advised hotel guests to take valuables out of their vehicle or to hide them.

D’Alessandro on Wednesday afternoon did not respond to New Jersey 101.5's request for more information.

Bills to fight car theft

Gov. Phil Murphy signed several bills in July to strengthen the penalties for car thefts.

One bill made the use of master keys that allow a fob to unlock and start up a vehicle. Another made the crimes of theft of a motor vehicle and receiving it separate statutory charges.

The bills also took away the assumption of a pre-trial release for repeat offenders.

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