Suspects try to steal 3 cars from Spotswood BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer SPOTSWOOD - Unknown suspects apparently came down from Newark one recent Friday and stole or attempted to steal three vehicles from the same neighborhood. The burglaries and thefts occurred on or around Jan. 19 on Brooklyn, Hudson, and Adirondack avenues, though the thieves were only able to get away with one vehicle. On Brooklyn Avenue, a resident's Toyota pickup truck was stolen from in front of his home, police said. The theft occurred during the evening hours but was not seen by anyone. The truck was found the following Tuesday by Newark police. It had been abandoned on Tichenor Street in that city. The incident on Hudson Avenue occurred between Jan. 19 and 21, police said, when someone tried to steal a work van that was parked in front of a home. The thieves broke the steering column and tried to hot-wire the van. All they made off with, however, was some coins that were in the van. There were no known witnesses to that crime. The other incident occurred on Adirondack Avenue, where an attempt was made to steal a resident's Nissan Altima. The suspects failed in an attempt to hot-wire the car, which had been left unlocked. The suspects did make off with the owner's cell phone, however, and when the victim called the phone the next day, a female voice answered. She told the victim that if he wanted his phone back, he had to come to Newark and bring money. Spotswood Police Detective Joseph Vitale said that last summer the borough had a similar rash of incidents not far from where these occurred. Those burglaries, one of which happened in broad daylight, took place around the same time of evening. Motor vehicle theft attempts, he noted, are uncommon in Spotswood. Police have not been able to make arrests in the two strings of crimes. Vitale, who is investigating the latest incidents, said residents should keep their car doors locked and report any suspicious behavior to police. He said sometimes people feel as if they are being a burden to the police by calling to report a suspicious person or vehicle, but those kinds of tips often lead to arrests.