The people of New Jersey have one less reason to fear car theft. Police in the state recently arrested several individuals involved in a massive automotive theft ring that targeted high-end vehicles. Now, they are each facing decades in prison for the crime, which authorities say resembles a recent one out of Staten Island, New York. 

Car theft is on the rise nationwide, but New Jersey has been especially burdened with the crime

According to SI Live, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced on April 25th that authorities had arrested 11 people for car theft. However, this wasn’t your minor run-of-the-mill theft. Instead, this was a massive criminal enterprise. The group of people targeted high-end vehicles in the counties of Morris, Essex, Middlesex, Mercer, and Burlington. 

So, what are the specifics of the car theft ring? First, the enterprise leaders have not been identified, but one is being called “E,” while the other is known as “Big G.” One of the vehicles they went after was a $475,000 Rolls-Royce. Another example of the vehicles they sought was a $90,000 BMW X5. Regarding the BMW, they took it from a person’s driveway in Pompton Plains. In this case, they broke into the home and stole the key fob. 

The car theft ring didn’t end there. In many cases, thieves try to offload the cars in local areas. However, this enterprise saw them being loaded onto shipping containers. However, authorities later uncovered them at ports in Staten Island and Elizabeth, New Jersey. They believe the thieves were trying to send them to West African countries. If this is the case, they probably would have sold them on the black market. Authorities believe they stole 43 vehicles, valued at a total of $3.65 million. Again, a recent crime in Staten Island used similar tactics. They face charges for first-degree racketeering and could receive a prison sentence of between 10 and 20 years, as well as fines of up to $500,000.