Police: Striped Baseball Cap Leads Cops to Suspected Thief

A man who police say stole about a thousand dollars worth of merchandise and credit cards from unlocked cars in Mahwah last month has been arrested in connection with similar crimes throughout northern New Jersey, Mahwah Police Chief Jim Batelli said in a release Wednesday afternoon.

And the key to catching the thief was a unique baseball cap he was wearing during car theft incidents throughout the state, police said.

During the overnight of Oct. 16 into Oct. 17, five unlocked cars parked in driveways on Brookwood Drive and Aspen Court were burglarized, Batelli said.

Police began looking for a suspect who made away with wallets, drivers’ licenses, a GPS unit, an iPod touch, power tools, and a number of resident credit cards, Batelli said.

Tracking the purchases made with the stolen cards led police to an Exxon gas station in Ridgewood where a suspect bought gas, and was captured on surveillance video, Batelli said.

According to Batelli, investigating Mahwah Detective Michael Grassi issued an alert to other police agencies describing the suspect, which police say showed a man driving a dark-colored car and wearing a striped baseball cap with the word “Brooklyn” on it.

“A background investigation determined that an alert [of a suspected car burglar] had been sent out by the Summit Police Department of a suspect that matched the description of the Mahwah suspect,” Batelli said.

“In [the Summit PD’s photograph], he was wearing the same hat.”

Cops identified the hat-wearing suspect as Jason Madrey, 28, of Elizabeth, a man with a “lengthy criminal history,” Batelli said.

Madrey was arrested in Summit on Halloween, and admitted to committing car burglaries in Summit and Bernards Township, police said.

“When he was taken into custody, a set of outer clothing was seized,” Batelli said. “It included the same hat, sweatshirt, and vest that [Madrey] was wearing during our incidents.”

In Mahwah, Madrey has been charged with burglary, theft, and credit card theft, police said. He is currently being held at the Union County Jail, police said.