Livingston Mall Shoplifters Lead Police To Stolen Cars

A response to two men shoplifting from Macys in Livingston Mall led Livingston Police to the discovery of stolen vehicles and more arrests on Monday, according to police. 

The series of events began around 12:15 p.m. when a 2012 BMW 535 was stolen from a resident’s driveway on Stoneham Drive, according to police. The daughter of the owner told police she noticed a man wearing a white sweatshirt running up the driveway shortly before the car was stolen, according to police. 

Soon after at 2:30 p.m., a Mercedes E350 was stolen from the parking lot of the Allison Corporation, located on Okner Parkway, according to police. The owner reportedly left the luxury car unlocked and the automatic starter inside the car, said police. 

It was not until 8:20 p.m. that police received a call from Livingston Mall security about two men allegedly stealing Polo shirts, said police. The men were reportedly stuffing the $165 shirts under their own clothing, according to police. 

When the two men in the mall were approached by mall security, one of the men, named Taji Slade, 23, of Irvington, cooperated with security and was apprehended, according to police. The other unidentified man resisted, reportedly gauged one of the security guard’s eyes with his finger and fled into the mall’s parking lot, said police.

When Livingston Police arrived at the mall, officers were unable to find the unidentified man, said police. 

But when police were combing the parking lot for the alleged shoplifter, officers spotted the stolen Mercedes E350, said police. Livingston police staked out the car, and eventually a grey Ford van with two men inside pulled up, said police. 

It was then that the passenger in the Ford van, Abdur Abdullah, 31, of Newark, got out of the van and attempted to get into the stolen Mercedes, according to police. Police immediately arrested Abdullah. Police also arrested the van’s driver, Jibreel Williams, 34, of Roselle, said police. 

In addition to finding the automatic car starter for the stolen Mercedes on Abdullah, police also found the car starter for the stolen BMW 535 from Stoneham Drive and another Mercedes starter that was reportedly stolen earlier that day out of Brook Lake Country Club in Florham Park, according to police. 

Abdullah did not tell police the location of either the stolen BMW or Florham Park Mercedes, according to police, and they are still missing. 

Police charged Abdullah with theft of a motor vehicle and possessing stolen property, and Williams was charged with conspiracy to commit theft, according to police.

Both men are being held the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, said police. Abdullah is being held on $40,000 bail, and Williams is being held on $20,000 bail, according to police.