Middlesex county man charged with using bricks to smash 67 cars in Union, Middlesex counties
The investigation kicked off in early April, when the Cranford Police began receiving reports from residents who woke up to find their car windshields completely destroyed.
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A 24-year-old Middlesex County man faces a wave of criminal charges following a multi-jurisdictional investigation into an overnight vandalism spree that left dozens of car windshields shattered across Union and Middlesex counties.
Detectives arrested Mohamed K. Abdelaal, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, on Wednesday. He has been charged with multiple counts of criminal mischief in connection with a weeklong rampage.
The investigation began in early April, when Cranford police started receiving morning reports from residents who woke up to find their car windshields destroyed.
As Cranford detectives tracked the pattern, police departments in Linden, Rahway, Hillside, Woodbridge and Edison realized they were dealing with the same issue. In every reported case, the suspect used heavy brick pavers to intentionally smash vehicle glass during the overnight hours.
In total, authorities logged approximately 67 incidents of criminal mischief between April 1 and April 6, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Because the crimes crossed county lines and impacted six municipalities, detectives from the affected police departments formed a task force to share surveillance footage and track down the suspect.
Following the identification, detectives secured formal charge approvals from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. Abdelaal was located and taken into custody without incident on Wednesday.
After processing, Abdelaal was remanded to the Union County Jail, where he is being held pending a formal detention hearing.
