3 N.J. Men Charged In Theft Of $1.5 M In Luxury Vehicles

Three men — one from Union County and two from Essex County — have been charged for their roles in a car theft-ring that stole about $1.5 million in luxury vehicles last year in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, authorities said .

Newark residents Hakeem Smith, 29, and Nafique Goodwyn, 26, as well as Malik “Smack” Baker, 26, of Union, swiped at least 13 high-end cars including a Masserati Levante, a Porsche Cayenne, a Range Rover and multiple BMWs and Mercedes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey said in a statement.

Goodwyn was arrested Wednesday and made his initial appearance via video conference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson. He is expected to be released on $100,000 bond with home detention. Baker and Smith are being held on unrelated charges and have yet to make their first appearances.

The cars were stolen starting in July 2019 with at least 10 of them stored behind a home on the 100 block of Ellis Avenue in Irvington, officials said. Some of the vehicles were later recovered, including a 9680 Mercedes 8550 scheduled to be shipped to Ghana found inside shipping container at the Port of Newark in August.