Police Blotter: Man Charged in Car Part Theft, Overturned Dump Truck Snarls Route 70 Traffic

An early morning noise complaint call at a Route 9 used car dealership led to a theft arrest as police allege a man attempted to remove a part from a vehicle. 

Toms River Police Department Officers Pascal Gambardella and Joseph Mastronardy responded to the A Car for You dealership at 4 a.m. Wednesday and allegedly observed Leonard Mayweather, 47, of Lakewood, underneath a Hyundai with a reciprocating saw as he attempted to remove the car's catalytic converter, said Chief of Police Michael Mastronardy. 

After an investigation, Mayweather was was charged with theft. Officers recovered four other catalytic converters taken from area vehicles, Mastronardy said.

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Traffic along Route 70 near Whitesville Road was snarled for hours on Wednesday after a garbage truck overturned. 

The truck, operated by Farmingdale resident Lonzy Cox III, 42, was traveling westbound on Route 70 and making a right turn on to northbound Whitesville Road at 11 a.m. when the driver told police that the load shifted, leading the truck to overturn, Mastronardy said.

Toms River police responded to the scene, which Mastronardy said "restricted" traffic in the area for about four hours.