500 Parking Meters Stolen: NJ Cops Hunt for Thief - East Idaho News
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500 Parking Meters Stolen: NJ Cops Hunt for Thief

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Getty N 011012 ParkingMeter?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1326230607125Eric O’Connell/Getty Images(TOMS RIVER, N.J.) — Investigators are trying to figure out who stole more than 500 parking meters from storage in Toms River, N.J., the township’s police chief said.

The meters, valued at more than $75,000, were discovered missing by a parking authority employee Monday afternoon. The lock to the storage trailer had been cut and the meters removed, Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said.

“We’re not sure at this time if it was a single incident or not,” Mastronardy said. “It could have happened any time between September and Monday.”

Each cast-iron meter weighs 50 pounds, totaling about 12.5 tons of stolen material.

Mastronardy said the meters were in storage until the town needed to recondition them for use.

Bob Pellegrino, owner of Universal Recycling and Scrap Iron in Toms River, said local scrap yards might pay $11 per 100 pounds for items like the meters, but are constantly on the lookout for suspicious items coming in to their businesses.

Mastronardy said they have no leads in the investigation so far, but are trying to get the word out for people, or even other towns, to keep their eyes open.

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