Man Lied After Stealing From Car, Cops Say

Hopatcong Police spent the early morning hours Saturday investigating a burglarized car and the man who allegedly stole an item from the vehicle, Lt. Thomas Kmetz said.

Officers responded to the area of Mast Road for multiple reports of someone running through yards, Kmetz said. When patrols arrived, they found Kevin Celi, 19, of Hopatcong, on Nariticong Avenue, who told police he was walking home from a friend’s house, Kmetz said.

While questioning Celi, police received a call that a resident just confronted someone who was in his wife’s vehicle and stole a parking pass, Kmetz said.

The victim’s description of the alleged assailant matched that of Celi, who had fresh abrasions on his legs, Kmetz said.

Police brought Celi to the victim’s home where he was pointed out as the man who was in the victim’s car, Kmetz said.

Another man, who police would not identify, cooperated with authorities and gave a statement that Celi did in fact go into the victim’s car, Kmetz said.

Celi was jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail. He was charged with theft.

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