We’ve been fretting about thefts of items from cars for a while now, but unfortunately it looks like local criminals are upping the ante. Maplewood police are reporting that two car thefts occurred in early March.

Maplewood police report that on Tuesday, March 3, an unknown culprit stole a 2005 Dodge Caravan from the parking lot of Burnett Ave. building. The theft occured sometime after 9:30 am. The car was later recovered by Irvington police after it was involved in an accident.

The next day, two underage males were detained by police after stealing an Audi Q-5 from the garage of Enterprise Car Rental on Milburn Ave. Police say they also targeted a Chevy Van and a Cobalt for theft. With cooperation of police from Marlboro, Maplewood PD identified a 14-year-old Irvington youth as the suspect. The youth was charged with burglary, theft and attempted theft.

The Audi belonged to DCH Audi on Millburn ave, who had a sedan stolen from their lot last month.