Paramus police say a quick response to a tip from mall security ended with two people in custody and nearly $17,000 in high-end goods pulled from a gray Mazda SUV outside Westfield Garden State Plaza on Friday. Loss-prevention staff at the Alo Yoga store had just reported a shoplifting and passed along a description of the fleeing suspects and their vehicle. Officers later identified the driver as 26-year-old Jason Joshua Molina of Bayonne and the passenger as 32-year-old Tamara Charlot of Queens, and both are now facing charges of possession of stolen property and possession of an anti-shoplifting device, according to police.
As reported by Daily Voice, Paramus Police Chief Robert M. Guidetti said officers ultimately tallied about $16,785 worth of designer merchandise in the SUV. The haul, police said, included Alo leggings, Calvin Klein shirts, Prada sunglasses, Victoria’s Secret perfume, a Burberry clutch, Coach handbags and Montblanc bags. Sgt. Ryan Hayo and Officer Joseph Mastrofilippo made the traffic stop, Guidetti said. Molina was released on his own recognizance, while Charlot was remanded to the Bergen County Jail. Police said the arrests were made without incident around 7 p.m. on March 13.
How police say the stop unfolded
Inside the vehicle, officers said they found a foil-lined container that they described as a "booster bag" used to defeat anti-shoplifting sensors. Booster bags, essentially foil-lined containers that can block electronic article surveillance tags, have long been documented as a go-to tool of organized retail-theft rings that move quickly from store to store. Industry reporting and loss-prevention experts say devices like these make it harder for stores to spot what is happening in real time and to recover merchandise after the fact. CSO Online has detailed how foil-lined bags and other tactics are used to slip past EAS gates.
Not an isolated incident at the mall
Paramus police have been dealing with a steady drumbeat of thefts at Garden State Plaza, and this arrest fits into a wider pattern. A department sweep last fall recovered more than $12,000 in stolen merchandise and resulted in multiple arrests, according to NJ 101.5. Loss-prevention staffers from several high-end retailers have been working closely with officers to flag repeat patterns and vehicles linked to previous incidents. Those recurring cases prompted the department to send its Anti-Crime Unit to the mall area more frequently, police have said.
What the charges could mean
Under New Jersey law, the severity of a receiving-stolen-property or shoplifting charge is largely tied to the retail value of the goods involved. The higher the dollar amount, the more likely the allegation becomes an indictable offense with steeper penalties. Criminal-defense resources note that when the value of the property falls between a few hundred dollars and tens of thousands of dollars, charges are often brought as a third-degree crime, which can carry potential prison time and significant fines. New Jersey legal commentary also points out that having devices intended to defeat anti-theft systems can lead to additional counts. For an overview, see Rosenblum Law.
Paramus police did not immediately release additional information beyond the initial statement, and bookings and court processing will move through Bergen County authorities. This story will be updated as court records or further official statements become available.
