Men Stole $250K In Jewelry From Paramus Stores: Police

PARAMUS, NJ — Two men were charged with robbing $250,000 worth of jewelry from borough stores, including the Kay Jewelers in the Garden State Plaza, following an investigation by the Paramus Police Department.

Tony Newton, 56, and Gerald Williams, 45, both of Brooklyn, New York, were each charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft following the Jan. 13 burglary, said Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg.

Paramus Police officers responded to the Garden State Plaza store Jan. 13 on a report of a burglary that occurred shortly after the store closed.

Investigators discovered that the front security gate had been cut through and the display jewelry cases had been ransacked, Ehrenberg said.

Several Paramus Police detectives investigated and determined that Newton and Williams allegedly committed at least three other burglaries at Paramus Kay Jeweler stores and stole jewelry from Nordstrom in the Garden State Plaza, Ehrenberg said.

Lead Detective Nicholas Luciano contacted to the New York City Police Department for help with the investigation. Over the next few months, Luciano, Paramus Officer Daniel DeRienzo, and New York Police Sgt. Robert Olson reviewed video tape collected from the locations of burglaries throughout New Jersey and New York.

Investigators identified a pattern of similar burglaries and theft, including two Kay Jewelers burglaries at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison and potentially others as far as Albany, New York, Ehrenberg said.

With help from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Intelligence Unit, officers identified a stolen vehicle that was used in the burglary of the Kay Jewelers located in Bergen Town Center, which was later recovered in Brooklyn, New York, the chief said.

Officers responded to the burglary of a kiosk in the Garden State Plaza Sept. 29 and reviewed surveillance footage. Police identified one of the suspects as being the same person filmed in the Kay Jewelers burglaries and Nordstrom theft, Ehrenberg said. The suspects use a vehicle that was stolen earlier in the day in Hackensack, he said.

Sgt. Olson and Luciano found the vehicle in Brooklyn Sept. 30. Newton was in the vehicle and arrested by police, Ehrenberg said.

Williams, who is related to Newton, was later identified as the second suspect in the jewelry burglaries. Paramus Police detectives arrested him at his Brooklyn home.

Williams and Newton were extradited from New York City to the Bergen County Jail where they are being held, the chief said.

Newton was charged with four counts each of burglary and theft, two counts of possession of stolen property and shoplifting.

Williams was charged with three counts each of burglary and theft, possession of stolen property, and shoplifting.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photos: Gerald Williams, 45, and Tony Newton, 56, both of Brooklyn, New York (Paramus Police Department)