Two Woodland Park men broke into more than 24 businesses in three counties over four months, authorities said.
BERGEN COUNTY -- Two Woodland Park men broke into more than 24 businesses in three counties over four months, authorities said.
Police arrested Jose L. Cardona, 30, and Woodrow Garcia Jr., 21 on Wednesday. The two share the same address on Sunset Drive in Woodland Park.
Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said members of 22 police departments formed a task force in July to investigate a series of commercial burglaries in and around Bergen County. Investigators found similarities among more than two dozen burglaries over four months in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties.
The burglars generally targeted gas stations and repair shops in the early morning hours, when they were closed, Molinelli said. They used special lock-picking tools to gain entry. They stole diagnostic equipment, cash and equipment.
Task force detectives linked Cardona, Garcia Jr., and a third unnamed person who is still at large to more than two dozen burglaries in Lodi, Elmwood Park, Saddle Brook, Fair Lawn, Ridgefield, Fort Lee, Rutherford, Glen Rock, Waldwick, South Hackensack, Lyndhurst, Rochelle Park, Ramsey, Palisades Park, Wyckoff, Hawthorne and Kearny, Molinelli said.
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Police arrested Cardona Wednesday at an apartment building on East 23rd Street in Paterson. Garcia turned himself in at the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office in Paramus.
Cardona and Garcia were charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft. They were both lodged in Bergen County Jail. Bail was set at $250,000 for Cardona and $100,000 for Garcia. They're scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon.
Aside from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the task force included members of the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and police departments in Saddle Brook, Lodi, Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn, Paramus, Ridgefield, Fort Lee, Rutherford, Glen Rock, Waldwick, South Hackensack, Lyndhurst, Rochelle Park, Ramsey, Wyckoff, Palisades Park, Kearny, Paterson and Woodland Park.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
