Big Bait Catches Big Rat: Glen Rock Commuter Bike Thief Caught With GPS Tracker on Decoy Bicycle

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock police, in their efforts to investigate a series of bicycle thefts at local train stations, employed technology and assistance from their borough’s fire chief to apprehend a suspect. Detectives affixed a GPS tracker to a decoy bicycle, referred to as a “bait bike,” which they placed at the NJ TRANSIT Bergen Line station. On a Friday afternoon, the bait bike was taken from the rack, prompting the police to respond immediately.

The thief, realizing the presence of a GPS tracker, removed it as he made his way south on Lincoln Avenue. However, the Glen Rock Fire Chief and OEM Coordinator, Tom Jennings, learned of the incident via police radio chatter and began following the suspect from a safe distance. He continued to track the thief into Paterson and relayed information to officers.

Officer T.J. Graziani eventually caught up with them at River Street and 5th Avenue, leading to the arrest of Jaime Bauer of Waldwick, a 35-year-old habitual offender known to police in Northwest Bergen and Passaic counties. Several Glen Rock officers, including Lt. Frank Riggio, Sgt. Rob Wojtecki, and Officer James Donnelly, were involved in the arrest.

Bauer was taken into custody and charged with theft. He was subsequently sent to the Bergen County Jail, marking his third arrest in the area within a month. Glen Rock detectives are now examining video footage from other recent bicycle thefts at train stations to determine if Bauer was responsible.

Over the past few weeks, a number of bicycles had been stolen from both Glen Rock train stations, some of which were valued at a total of $1,800. Including a  Ridgewood resident who reported that their Trek Road Bicycle, with a reported value of $1,000,  stolen on October 23rd. According to the complainant, they locked their bike to the bike rack at the NJ Transit Bergen Line Train Station at around 5:15 AM. When they returned at 6:30 PM the bike and the lock were missing.

The thefts occurred during off-hours when station activity was minimal. Four of the stolen bicycles had been locked at the NJ TRANSIT Bergen Line station near the borough hall.

 

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