Fugitive Wanted In International Carjacking Ring Arrested In Allendale

ALLENDALE, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A man sought by authorities probing an international carjacking ring was arrested after he allegedly tried to take a luxury car from a garage at a northern New Jersey home.

Authorities say 32-year-old Abdur Abdullah of Irvington was captured Wednesday in Allendale.

A woman who was visiting a friend's home there allegedly saw Abdullah sitting in the driver's seat of a 2014 BMW. He ran away after he saw the woman, but was later arrested after a traffic stop in a nearby town and was charged with burglary, attempted theft and providing false information to police.

Abdullah is among roughly 30 people accused of roles in a stolen car ring that targeted high-end vehicles from New Jersey and New York and shipped dozens of them for sale in West Africa.

Back in February, acting New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman said more than 160 vehicles with a value of more than $8 million were recovered in the 10-month investigation dubbed "Operation Jacked."

"We recovered 140 of those vehicles at ports in New York and New Jersey, where members of the ring had taken them for shipment," Hoffman said.

Many of the cars were stolen in northern New Jersey and were luxury SUVs made by makers such as Land Rover, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Twenty-seven of the recovered vehicles had been taken in carjackings, while the others were stolen from various locations, including car washes and airports, where they could make off with the electronic keys as well, Hoffman said.

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