Northborough Police Say Theft Ring Behind Sporting Goods Robbery

NORTHBOROUGH, MA — Two men from out-of-state have been arrested on felony larceny charges by Northborough Police after they were caught sneaking unpaid clothes out of a Dick's Sporting Goods store and into a car parked outside.

Police say the two men, a 33-year-old man from New York, and a 37-year-old man from New Jersey came up from New Jersey Thursday and stole from numerous Dick's across New England.

In a Facebook post, Northborough Police say the two men are part of an organized retail crime theft ring, targeting numerous Dick Sporting Goods locations.

On Friday, an employee from a Northborough Dick's Sporting Goods says they saw the New Jersey man walk into the store, place unpaid clothes into a bag and walk out without paying. The store employee was able to track the man down and catch the license plate of the car he got into, which prompted Northborough Police to pull the car over on Route 9.

Acting Lt. Brian Griffin said the bag used to take the clothing was a "booster bag," that a lot of theft rings use to prevent security devices from going off, according to an article from the MetroWest Daily News.

When police searched the car, they found $1,500 worth of clothes from the Northborough Dick's alone.

On Monday, the New Jersey man was ordered held on $500 bail at his Westborough District Court arraignment. The New York man’s arraignment results were not made available.