Burglars make off with $900,000 in jewelry from Washington Township, NJ store  Thieves broke through the roof of a jewelry store late Sunday night and made off with about $900,000 in merchandise, authorities reported Monday. "Burglars cut a hole in the roof of Amir Jewelers and entered the store about 10 p.m." said Lt. Richard Skinner. "They disconnected the security cameras and alarm system and took a large amount of jewelry." Skinner said the exact value had not yet been determined, but that $900,000 seemed a reasonable estimate. He said the burglary in the store at 289 Pascack Road, was unlike any in memory in the township, but that detectives would be investigating the possibility that it might be linked to similar thefts in other jurisdictions. northjersey.com

Apple Store in Naperville, IL reports $10,000 in merchandise stolen
Police officers responded to a theft last week at the Apple Store, 120 W. Jefferson Ave., in downtown Naperville. An Apple employee called police at 11:42 a.m. Dec. 18 to report that four men entered the store, grabbed more than $10,000 of merchandise and fled without paying for the items. chicagotribune.com

Holiday pickpocketing crew busted at Best Buy in Paramus, NJ
A pickpocketing crew racked up more than $3,000 worth of charges on stolen credit cards before their arrest on Friday, according to Paramus police. New York residents Toni Green, 52, of Port Chester, Stephanie Pruitt, 57, of Mount Vernon, and Gregory K. Barnes, of Westchester remain in Bergen County Jail on charges of fraud and possession of stolen property. According to Paramus Deputy Police Chief Robert Guidetti, Paramus detectives had told various mall security staffs that a crew had been using stolen credit cards they had obtained during a pickpocketing run at Fairway Market earlier that day. "The five Paramus victims were all women who had left their pocket books in shopping carts while shopping," Guidetti said. "The team distracted the women or waited and watched for the opportune time to remove the wallet from the pocket book." On Friday, Best Buy security staff recognized one of the subjects described by police, Guidetti said. A short time later, Officer Matthew McGuire stopped the trio driving away in a red 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. He found two Playstation 4 consoles, 2 Grand Theft Auto games, two gift cards and other assorted merchandise in the car -- more than $3,000 worth of merchandise, Guidetti said. The value? Pruitt also had heroin, the deputy chief said. Police also recovered the credit card that was stolen earlier that day at Fairway Market, Guidetti said. nj.com

Florence, AL Police responds to dozens of theft cases, cracking down on shoplifting  Florence Police officers are cracking down on shoplifters as we get closer to Christmas. They put a good number of suspected thieves behind bars this weekend. But, officers say it’s a common occurrence during the holiday season. Sgt. Cliff Billingsley with Florence Police said just this month, officers responded to over 60 cases of theft. whnt.com

One Springfield, MO store tries to stop five-finger discounts for shoplifters Hobbytown USA has been open for nine years. It recently moved its store to Battlefield Road from the Brentwood Shopping Center. The new store has 23 security cameras. With all sorts of toys like remote control cars and helicopters, owner Tim Weyers says those are typically the first items to be slipped under a coat and walk out the door; at least that was true for its last store location. A thief walked out with $3,000 to $4,000 worth of items. He was caught and prosecuted for it. Now, Weyers isn't taking any chances. He has made upgrades to the store to help keep an eye on customers and merchandise. ky3.com

Dognapped in New Hampshire: 13 puppies snatched from pet store
Police in New Hampshire say they have collared the humans responsible for snatching 13 puppies from a New Hampshire pet store in a smash-and-grab dognapping. A passer-by noticed a broken window at Bill's Pet and Aquarium in Manchester on Tuesday morning and called police. washingtontimes.com

Southhampton Co, VA Sheriff's office seeks credit card fraud suspect  The Southampton County Sheriff's Office is trying to track down a man they say is involved in several credit card fraud cases across Hampton Roads. Deputies said fraudulent charges were made with compromised account information from a bank card that the victim still has in his possession. The charges were made in Carrollton, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Hampton at businesses including 7-Eleven, Family Dollar, and Food Lion. It's not known how the man got the bank card information. wavy.com


Grand Chute, WI Police investigate credit card fraud incidents
Police in Grand Chute are asking for the public's help in identifying multiple suspects that they believe may be connected to a stolen credit card. Police say a man reported his credit card stolen on Dec. 3. Since then, police say the credit card was used at various locations in the Grand Chute area such as Gordman's, PDQ and Kwik-Trip. They say the credit card was also used in the Greenville and Hortonville areas. fox11online.com

San Luis Obispo reports Increase in shoplifting during holiday season