NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Christmas morning is often spent with loved ones enjoying fun surprises, but the New Brunswick Police Department (NBPD) says it was quite the opposite for many car-owners in the areas of Hiram Square, Riverside, and 33 Commercial  Avenue.
There, about 25 residents or visitors were in for a nasty surprise when they went to their cars for the first time on the holiday, according to the city.
The cars, all parked in the neighborhoods between Neilsen Street and Route 18, had their tires slashed at some point during a three-hour period between 4am and 7am, according to the statement.
A Facebook message from the New Brunswick City Government Facebook page the following day included a photo of an individual, described as “a suspect believed to be involved,” walking past the Bravo supermarket and weilding some kind of weapon.
Curiously, the NBPD did not issue a press release for the crime. Â The incident also did not generate a “crime alert” from Rutgers University’s Police Department, despite its proximity to university buildings.
Neither agency used their Nixle emergency alert system.
Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact NBPD Sgt. Mark Pappas at (732) 745-5218.
Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.
