Posted by : Matthew Nazzaro  On May 20th, 2026 12:01 pm

      

After an extensive collaborative investigation involving multiple police agencies from Union and Middlesex Counties, a Middlesex County man was arrested on multiple counts of criminal mischief.

In early April 2026, the Cranford Police Department received several reports of car windshields being shattered during the overnight hours. At the same time, the Linden, Rahway, Hillside, Woodbridge, and Edison Police Departments reported similar incidents of criminal mischief in their municipalities. In each case, it appeared that the suspect used brick pavers to intentionally and indiscriminately smash car windshields, resulting in significant damage to the victims' vehicles.

In total, there were approximately sixty-seven reported incidents between April 1 and April 6, 2026, in the aforementioned municipalities. Through their collaborative efforts, detectives identified the suspect as 24-year-old Mohamed K. Abdelaal of Iselin, NJ. After obtaining charge approval from Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Desimone of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, Abdelaal was arrested without incident on May 20, 2026, for multiple counts of criminal mischief.

Abdelaal was subsequently remanded to the Union County Jail pending a detention hearing. This investigation was a joint effort by the Cranford, Linden, Rahway, Hillside, Woodbridge, and Edison Police Departments.

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Release by D/Lt. Spencer Durkin

s-durkin@cranfordnj.org / 908-709-7346