The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
05/11/2025
Patrol recovered a stolen motor vehicle from an outside jurisdiction in the area of Canal Rd. The vehicle was unoccupied. The suspect has been identified. The reporting agency was notified of the recovery.
A Somerset resident was the victim of theft by deception on 04/29/25. The victim contacted the suspect via Facebook about the sale of a puppy. The victim sent the suspect $750 for the puppy, which was supposed to be shipped to her. After payment was sent, the suspect disappeared, and the puppy was never shipped. The victim contacted Facebook about the scam and the person she spoke to gained access to her Venmo account and withdrew an additional $1,000.
05/12/2025
A business located on Hamilton St. was the victim of a theft during the overnight hours. The unknown suspect(s) stole a lockbox off the side of the building, which contained keys to a U-Haul box truck. The suspect(s) stole the box truck valued at $25,000. The U-Haul was entered stolen into a national database.
A Somerset resident was the victim of a burglary in the area of Pear Tree Ln. during the evening hours. The unknown suspect(s) entered the victim’s residence and stole the a PS5 and Air Jordan sneakers valued at a total of $558. There were no signs of forced entry, however, a second story window was left wide open.
05/13/2025
Patrol recovered a stolen motor vehicle from an outside jurisdiction in the area of Hamilton St. The vehicle was unoccupied, and the suspect(s) is unknown. The reporting agency was notified of the recovery.
A Middlesex and Somerset resident were the victims of theft by deception and wrongful impersonation in the area of Elizabeth Ave. The Somerset resident suffered a medical emergency and ultimately passed away. A Hispanic female suspect identified herself as the decedent’s wife and took his property from the business where it was left behind. The stolen property included credit cards, jewelry, car keys and two cell phones. The decedent’s actual wife is the reporting person.
05/14/2025
An East Elmhurst, NY resident reported a theft in the area of Atrium Dr. during the overnight hours. The unknown suspect(s) stole the four tires and rims off the victim’s rental vehicle. The vehicle was left resting on bricks. The stolen property was valued at $2,500. The act caused significant damage to the vehicle’s undercarriage.
A business located on Somerset St. was the victim of a shoplifting during the morning hours. An unknown Black male exited the store without paying for merchandise valued at $111.
A business located on Somerset St. was the victim of a shoplifting on 05/13/25. An unknown Black male exited the store without paying for merchandise valued at $161.
A 32-year-old Seaford, DE man turned himself in on an outstanding warrant out of our jurisdiction. He was processed and transported to Somerset County Jail.
05/15/2025
A business located on Somerset St. was the victim of a shoplifting on 05/06/2025. An unknown Black male exited the business without paying for $181 worth of merchandise. The suspect is a known shoplifter at the business.
A business located on Somerset St. was the victim of a shoplifting on 05/07/2025. An unknown Black male exited the business without paying for $247 worth of merchandise. The suspect is a known shoplifter at the business.
A business located on Somerset St. was the victim of a shoplifting during the afternoon hours. A Black female exited the store without paying for merchandise valued at $18. Patrol canvassed the area for the suspect with negative results.
05/16/2025
A Somerset resident was the victim of theft by deception. The victim received a pop-up on his computer advising him to call a specific 1-800 number due to computer issues. Once on the phone, the victim was convinced by the representative that his bank account was hacked. The victim withdrew $5,100 and transferred it into a Bitcoin account as instructed by the unknown suspect. Afterwards, the victim realized he was scammed.
A business located on Hamilton St. was the victim of a shoplifting during the afternoon hours. The unknown Hispanic female exited the store without paying for an unknown amount of merchandise.
A 31-year-old Edison man was arrested by Edison PD for an outstanding warrant out of our jurisdiction. He was processed and transported to Somerset County Jail.
05/17/2025
A Somerset resident was the victim of a theft while at a local gym during the afternoon hours. The victim left her bookbag unattended in the locker room. The unknown suspect(s) took the victim’s wallet out of the bookbag and used the victim’s credit card at a business located in an outside jurisdiction.
A Somerset resident was the victim of a theft in the area of Maxwell Ln. between 05/15/25 and 05/16/25. The unknown suspect(s) stole the victim’s lawn mower from his front lawn. The lawnmower was valued at $550.
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