Woodbridge jewelry store targeted in daytime smash-and-grab robbery
According to police, around 12:40 p.m. June 7 four people entered Virani Jewelers on Oak Tree Road and used hammers to smash display cases before taking an undisclosed amount of jewelry.
Police said the robbery took about one minute.
The four suspects then fled in a black SUV which was operated by a fifth suspect, police said.
The robbery is similar to another daytime smash-and-grab theft. Two weeks ago, a large amount of jewelry was stolen from a Perth Amboy store. Around 2:30 p.m. May 22 the suspects went into Ruby's Jeweler, 171 Smith St., and began breaking the display cases and made off with the jewelry, according to police.
No arrests have been announced in that case.
And this isn't the first time Virani Jewelers has been targeted by thieves.
In June 2022 a group of armed and masked suspects smashed display cases and filled bags with gold from the Virani Jewelers, 1394 Oak Tree Road.
The store's security video, which was released on social media, captured the less than two-minute heist in which about eight suspects entered Virani Jewelers just before the business was set to close for the night.
And in November 2008 burglars smashed the window of the Virani Jewelers Marconi Avenue store in the early morning hours and made off with about $50,000 worth of merchandise, according to police.
The Virani Jewelers stores specialize in jewelry with South Asian styles, especially gold, some intricately designed pieces and sets with price tags of more than $7,000, according to its website. Virani Jewelers has several locations in the Iselin section.
Anyone with information on the June 7 robbery is asked to contact Woodbridge Detective Thomas Ratajczak at 732-634-7700.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Woodbridge NJ jewelry store targeted in daytime smash-and-grab robbery
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Fanwood house fire leaves one dead, one injured
FANWOOD – A borough resident died and a neighbor who attempted to rescue them was injured in an early morning house fire July 25 on Kempshall Terrace. The resident died at the scene and has not yet been identified. Fanwood police were called around 1:37 a.m. Friday about a house fire with possible entrapment on Kempshall Terrace. Arriving police and firefighters were unable to gain entry to the home in the intense blaze, according to Police Lt. Daniel Kranz. Before offices arrived, a neighbor attempted to rescue the resident but suffered significant burn injuries before they were taken to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston by the Fanwood Rescue Squad for treatment, police said. Firefighters from the Fanwood and Scotch Plains fire departments were able to bring the blaze under control in about 20 minutes. There were no reported injuries to fire personnel, according to a post on the borough's Facebook page. "The borough extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victim of the fire, and recognizes and commends the bravery of our first responders," the Facebook post states. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Fanwood Police Department is being assisted in the investigation by the Union County Arson Investigators and the Union County Sheriff's Office Identification Crime Scene Unit. Email: srussell@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today This article originally appeared on Fanwood NJ fatal house fire on Kempshall Terrace Solve the daily Crossword
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
How Thailand and Cambodia's Militaries Compare
At least 12 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in fresh clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, Thai authorities have said, as months of simmering tensions between the two South Asian countries boiled over on Thursday. Eleven civilians and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling, Thailand's health minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, said in a statement reported by Reuters. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said he had called on the United Nations Security Council to address what he described as a "premeditated military aggression" by Thailand. Thailand said Cambodia had opened fire first. Bangkok and Phnom Penh have a long history of border disputes, and the recent flare in tensions was fuelled by the death of a Cambodian soldier in a contested area in May. A Thai soldier was seriously injured on July 16 after a mine in a disputed border area detonated. Thailand accused Cambodia of planting new mines along the border, which Cambodia denied. A second explosion on Wednesday injured another Thai soldier. Cambodian authorities again denied laying fresh explosives. Border crossings between the two neighbors have been limited for several weeks, and reports from both countries on Thursday indicated border clashes at multiple points where both sides stake a claim to territory. Thailand said it was sealing the border on Thursday. Cambodia's government said on Thursday it had downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to "the lowest level" after Thailand recalled its ambassador in Phnom Penh, expelled Cambodia's ambassador in Bangkok and limited diplomatic channels. Cambodia's Khmer news agency reported on Thursday the Cambodian military had shot down a Thai F-16. Both militaries had reported a Thai F-16 had targeted Cambodia. "We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told the media, according to Reuters. Phnom Penh said Thailand had dropped two bombs on a road. Cambodia's government said Thai soldiers had climbed a temple close to the border and placed barbed wire on the site, before launching a drone over the area. Cambodia accused Thailand of firing on its troops and broadening attacks out to several other areas. How Do Cambodia's and Thailand's Militaries Compare? Cambodia's former leader, Hun Sen, reportedly said Phnom Penh was "fully prepared for combat," adding in a message directed at Bangkok: "Do not boast of your superior military power." "You will face the most severe retaliation," he added. Thailand has a "large, well funded military," the U.K.-based defense think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said in early 2025 as it published its count of the world's armed forces. Thailand's defense budget for this year is just shy of $5.7 billion, according to the think tank, with Cambodia's weighing in much lower at $1.3 billion. Air Forces Bangkok's air force "is one of the best equipped and trained in Southeast Asia," the IISS said. Thailand has 112 combat-capable aircraft, the IISS said at the start of 2025, including 46 F-16s of different variants. Bangkok also has a handful of the fourth-generation Swedish Gripen jets. While not the latest generation of aircraft, known as fifth-generation jets - such as the F-35 and F-22 - well-maintained F-16s and Gripens are considered very capable aircraft. Thailand is in the process of phasing out its older F-16s for more Gripens. Thailand, in its 46,000-person strong air force, also has two Erieye airborne early warning aircraft that work alongside the Gripens. Cambodia does not have fighter jets in its 1,500-person-strong air force, but has 26 helicopters of different types. "The Thai Air Force has U.S. F-16 aircraft, which it used to strike Cambodian military sites on Wednesday with impunity, while Cambodia lacks operational fighter aircraft," said John Hemmings, deputy director for geopolitics at the U.K.-based Council on Geostrategy think tank. Land and Naval Forces Cambodia's army has roughly 75,000 personnel, with approximately 200 tanks, the IISS said. Around 50 of these main battle tanks are Chinese-made versions of the Soviet-era T-54, and more than 150 T-54s and T-55s. Phnom Penh has 70 of the BMP-1s, a type of Soviet-era amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle that Russia and Ukraine have both deployed in eastern Europe. Thailand's army, with its 130,000 personnel plus nearly the same number of conscripts, had close to 400 main battle tanks, many of which are aged U.S.-made tanks. Bangkok also has an aircraft carrier and seven frigates, while Phnom Penh does not have a navy to speak of. "Thailand fields the most modern main battle tanks - including the VT4 from the People's Republic of China - while Cambodia relies heavily on the 1950s T-54,"Hemmings told Newsweek. "Both countries field artillery systems, both in terms of self-propelled missile rocket launchers and towed artillery," Hemmings added. "Cambodian systems are post-War like the BM-21 - with a few 1990s Chinese systems thrown in - while Thailand has a mixture of some recent U.S., Israeli, and Chinese systems." Related Articles Map Shows Where Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes Are Taking PlaceChina Reacts to Deadly Thailand, Cambodia Border FightThailand, Cambodia Exchange Fire Around Ancient TemplesWatch World's Favorite Baby Hippo, Moo Deng, Celebrate Her First Birthday 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Newsweek
How Thailand and Cambodia's Militaries Compare
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. At least 12 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in fresh clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, Thai authorities have said, as months of simmering tensions between the two South Asian countries boiled over on Thursday. Eleven civilians and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling, Thailand's health minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, said in a statement reported by Reuters. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said he had called on the United Nations Security Council to address what he described as a "premeditated military aggression" by Thailand. Thailand said Cambodia had opened fire first. Bangkok and Phnom Penh have a long history of border disputes, and the recent flare in tensions was fuelled by the death of a Cambodian soldier in a contested area in May. A Thai soldier was seriously injured on July 16 after a mine in a disputed border area detonated. Thailand accused Cambodia of planting new mines along the border, which Cambodia denied. A second explosion on Wednesday injured another Thai soldier. Cambodian authorities again denied laying fresh explosives. A unit of Thai soldiers salute during a training at a military barrack in Bangkok, Thailand Tuesday, April 19, 2011. A unit of Thai soldiers salute during a training at a military barrack in Bangkok, Thailand Tuesday, April 19, 2011. AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong Border crossings between the two neighbors have been limited for several weeks, and reports from both countries on Thursday indicated border clashes at multiple points where both sides stake a claim to territory. Thailand said it was sealing the border on Thursday. Cambodia's government said on Thursday it had downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to "the lowest level" after Thailand recalled its ambassador in Phnom Penh, expelled Cambodia's ambassador in Bangkok and limited diplomatic channels. Cambodia's Khmer news agency reported on Thursday the Cambodian military had shot down a Thai F-16. Both militaries had reported a Thai F-16 had targeted Cambodia. "We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told the media, according to Reuters. Phnom Penh said Thailand had dropped two bombs on a road. Cambodia's government said Thai soldiers had climbed a temple close to the border and placed barbed wire on the site, before launching a drone over the area. Cambodia accused Thailand of firing on its troops and broadening attacks out to several other areas. How Do Cambodia's and Thailand's Militaries Compare? Cambodia's former leader, Hun Sen, reportedly said Phnom Penh was "fully prepared for combat," adding in a message directed at Bangkok: "Do not boast of your superior military power." "You will face the most severe retaliation," he added. Thailand has a "large, well funded military," the U.K.-based defense think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said in early 2025 as it published its count of the world's armed forces. Thailand's defense budget for this year is just shy of $5.7 billion, according to the think tank, with Cambodia's weighing in much lower at $1.3 billion. Air Forces Bangkok's air force "is one of the best equipped and trained in Southeast Asia," the IISS said. Thailand has 112 combat-capable aircraft, the IISS said at the start of 2025, including 46 F-16s of different variants. Bangkok also has a handful of the fourth-generation Swedish Gripen jets. While not the latest generation of aircraft, known as fifth-generation jets — such as the F-35 and F-22 — well-maintained F-16s and Gripens are considered very capable aircraft. Thailand is in the process of phasing out its older F-16s for more Gripens. Thailand, in its 46,000-person strong air force, also has two Erieye airborne early warning aircraft that work alongside the Gripens. Cambodia does not have fighter jets in its 1,500-person-strong air force, but has 26 helicopters of different types. "The Thai Air Force has U.S. F-16 aircraft, which it used to strike Cambodian military sites on Wednesday with impunity, while Cambodia lacks operational fighter aircraft," said John Hemmings, deputy director for geopolitics at the U.K.-based Council on Geostrategy think tank. Land and Naval Forces Cambodia's army has roughly 75,000 personnel, with approximately 200 tanks, the IISS said. Around 50 of these main battle tanks are Chinese-made versions of the Soviet-era T-54, and more than 150 T-54s and T-55s. Phnom Penh has 70 of the BMP-1s, a type of Soviet-era amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle that Russia and Ukraine have both deployed in eastern Europe. Thailand's army, with its 130,000 personnel plus nearly the same number of conscripts, had close to 400 main battle tanks, many of which are aged U.S.-made tanks. Bangkok also has an aircraft carrier and seven frigates, while Phnom Penh does not have a navy to speak of. "Thailand fields the most modern main battle tanks — including the VT4 from the People's Republic of China — while Cambodia relies heavily on the 1950s T-54,"Hemmings told Newsweek. "Both countries field artillery systems, both in terms of self-propelled missile rocket launchers and towed artillery," Hemmings added. "Cambodian systems are post-War like the BM-21 — with a few 1990s Chinese systems thrown in — while Thailand has a mixture of some recent U.S., Israeli, and Chinese systems."
