11 arrested in New Jersey as 43 stolen luxury Cars worth $4m found in West Africa-bound shipping containers.
Attorney General’s Office says theft crews reportedly burglarized homes to get the key fobs needed to steal the luxury cars.
Following the theft, vehicles are stored in parking garages in the Bronx, before being shipped to West African countries.
Theft crews were paid for the stolen vehicles with cash from money wired from West Africa to the mid-level and high-level fences.
The Attorney General of New Jersey and the Division of Criminal Justice has announced charges against eleven (11) people for their roles in an auto theft ring that allegedly steal high-end vehicles from New Jersey homes.
The theft crews reportedly burglarized homes to get the key fobs needed to steal the luxury cars. Following the theft, the vehicled are stored in parking garages in the Bronx, New York, before being shipped to West African countries.
The Attorney General’s Office said that the organizers of the enterprise allegedly identified their targets – including Land Rovers, Mercedes Benzes, and BMWs – for theft crews that would allegedly then steal the vehicles.
Theft crews were paid for the stolen vehicles with cash from money wired from West Africa to the mid-level and high-level fences, the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on April 25th 2025 (Friday).
Investigators identified 43 stolen New Jersey vehicles valued at approximately $3.65 million in two parking garages on Jennings Street and Third Avenue in the Bronx, which are set to be loaded in shipping containers destined for Western Africa.
“While car thefts in New Jersey have decreased significantly over the past year and have continued to decrease in 2025, we are committed to reducing them further. This case is about more than just the theft of vehicles, it is about stealing people’s sense of security and safety,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.
“No one should be afraid that a thief will enter their home while they are sleeping to find their key fobs to steal their car, as is alleged in this case.”
Also speaking on the issue, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said that “this case reflects how car theft today is a global enterprise…We will not tolerate auto crime in the Bronx”.
“Millions of dollars worth of stolen vehicles—including a $475,000 Rolls-Royce—were taken to a Bronx parking garage that defendants used as a showroom. The vehicles wound up in shipping containers in Elizabeth and then in West Africa,” Clark adds.