Crime & Safety

Montclair Cops: Morris Plains Man Stole Donation Box

The following arrest information was supplied by the Montclair Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Christopher Robitaille 32, of Morris Plains, was charged with theft of movable property by the Montclair police on June 19. 

Police said  officers responded to Merit Fine Wines & Liquor on Bloomfield Avenue on May 15 at about 8:10 p.m., on a report of a theft of a donation box.

Upon arrival, police said, they spoke to an employee, who reported that she was behind the counter when a man entered the store. He grabbed a donation box from the front counter, exited the store, and ran west on Bloomfield Avenue towards Midland Avenue, police said.

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A second employee jumped over the counter and pursued the man, police said.

The employee police the man jumped into the driver’s seat of a black Lexus parked in front of Jinx Proof Tattoo and Body Piercing on Midland Avenue, and was last seen fleeing north, police said. The employee said the donation box contained approximately $300 and was intended for the family of James Wilson, who was murdered at the Chestnut Wine and Liquor in West Orange on April 22. 

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As a result of a subsequent investigation, police said, detectives identified Christopher Robitaille 32, of Morris Plains, as a suspect in this incident. Robitaille was arrested by Hanover Police and turned over to the Montclair Police on June 19. He was charged with theft of movable property and bail was set at $3,500. 


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