Alleged Thief: I Stole for Experiment on 'Doing the Right Thing'

Each week, Patch combs through the more shocking, surprising and often absurd alleged criminal acts and police-related incidents that unfold throughout New Jersey. Here’s what went on this week for “OMGs from NJ PD.”

Stealing in the Name of “Science:” And the winner of Patch’s just-made-up Chutzpah of the Year Award goes to … a Piscataway woman and man! We bestow this prestigious award on the pair for their explanation for allegedly stealing a restaurant’s outdoor umbrella: It was part of a Shockingly, police didn’t take kindly to the woman's note left behind at the scene mentioning the alleged experiment, promising to return the umbrella and wishing the one-umbrella-less restaurant owner “a blessed day.” We accept this award on the pair's behalf—they can keep the theft charges.

Stick to Match.com, Officer Cupid: Instead of an adorable “how we met” story to tell the grandkids, a Voorhees cop has a court date for allegedly abusing his power, all to meet a woman. The officer, a 14-year veteran, waved at an female motorist at a traffic stop, but when that didn’t result in an immediate love match, he reportedly used his police resources to look up the woman’s personal info, going as far as to try to friend her on Facebook. We suggest he read up on socially (and legally) acceptable ways to pick up dates and the woman increase her Facebook privacy settings.

There Are These New-Fangled Things Called Security Cameras: Is there anything more annoying than a thief stealing your credit card and going on a spending spree—buying pizza, going to a nail salon, racking up charges at Walgreens? How about when you’re responsible for those charges? But don’t feel too sorry for the Montville woman. Sure, she’ll have to pay the charges. She’ll also have to explain why she allegedly reported the card and her Coach purse stolen and then was . Patch fashionistas also demand to know how she got her hands on a reported $40 Coach purse.