Westfield Police: Home Burglary, Fraud, Illegal Dumping Reported

WESTFIELD, NJ — Burglars broke into a home and stole a vehicle outside, someone has been dumping yard debris on a public path and several residents were victims of fraud in recent weeks, according to Westfield Police.On April 28 at 6 a.m., a resident of Highland Avenue reported that their house was burglarized and a motor vehicle was stolen, police said. “The resident stated the keys for the stolen vehicle were inside the first floor of the house,” police said. “The resident woke up and observed alerts from the security cameras. When reviewing the camera, the resident observed individuals enter the house. A short time later the suspects then fled the house in the resident's vehicle, which was parked in the driveway.”On April 19, a husband and wife reported fraudulent transactions regarding frequent flyer miles, police said. “The victims state that on March 25, 2026, an unknown actor(s) used their rewarded frequent flyer miles through his American Airlines Gift Card Portal. The total loss was over 307,000 miles,” police said.On April 22, a couple said that earlier in the day they had visited a local coffee shop on East Broad Street and later realized their wallet had been left behind, police said. “Several hours afterward, the individual received bank alerts for multiple unauthorized transactions and attempted charges,” police said. “Upon contacting the business, an employee initially reported the wallet was not located but later stated it had been found. When the reporting party returned to the establishment, the wallet was recovered, however multiple bank cards were missing and its contents appeared disturbed.”On April 25, a resident told police that her credit card account was compromised. “The victim states that over $4,000 in unauthorized purchases were made to various clothing and goods merchants,” police said. “An unrecognized name was used to make these purchases. Several packages have appeared at her residence after being delivered by legitimate delivery agents. No monetary loss has occurred at this time.”On April 28, the Westfield Department of Public Works reported a buildup of illegally dumped debris on the town-owned walking path that connects Delaware Street and Grandview Avenue.“The material dumped appears to be lawn debris, shrubbery and branches,” police said.On April 30, a resident told police that they received a bad check from an insurance contractor in relation to damages and construction costs to their residence. At the time of this report, the victim had suffered a monetary loss of $58,531.96, police said.Also on April 30, a resident reported a phishing scam via Facebook Marketplace, in which an unknown person instructed her to provide banking information for a Venmo transaction. “Multiple fraudulent withdrawals were made from the victim's bank accounts,” police said. “At the time of this report, the victim suffered a monetary loss of $1,499.”In another incident reported on April 30, a resident of the 400 block of Mountain Avenue reported credit card fraud, police said. “The victim states that an unauthorized charge was made on their credit card for a computer tablet in the amount of $1,899.99,” police said. “No monetary loss was suffered at this time.”