Copper Stolen, Equipment Damaged on Parsippany Cell Tower, Cops Say

Police are looking for a thief, or thieves, who struck a Parsippany cellular tower in mid-June, making off with hundreds of dollars in copper grounding.

Parsippany officer William Stone responded to a cell phone tower on Route 10 for a reported theft just before 1 p.m. on June 19, police said. Upon arrival, Stone spoke with a cell tower technician, who said that when he arrived at the tower for maintenance that day, he noticed damage to the surrounding facility, police said.

An investigation found damage, including 50 feet of 2-inch copper grounding leads which extended from various utility boxes, police said. The technician told police the alleged thief would have had to climb the fence and barbed wire to get into the fenced-in area.

The cellular tower supports the services of five carriers, including AT&T. Further investigation revealed that several of the carriers were also impacted, with approximately $200 worth of material stolen from each, police said.

The crime is believed to have happened between June 14 and June 19, the technician told police. 

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Parsippany Police Department or email crime_tips@parpolice.com.