Monmouth pair charged with JCP&L copper thefts

The trail of copper stolen from Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) substations throughout Monmouth County leads investigators to an Asbury Park woman and a man from Howell.

January Nowitzke, 35, is charged with four counts of receiving stolen property and one count of theft by deception, according to information from Howell Township Police. She was placed in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) in Freehold, with bail set at $33,500.

Jeffrey Simons, 56, of Howell, was released on a summons after being charged with receiving stolen property, police said.

They're accused of entering JCP&L substations, often by cutting through perimeter fences, and looting bare bright copper, #1 copper and #2 copper, including grounding wires and grounding straps, police said.

Markings branded onto the metal by JCP&L helped detectives determine that Nowitzke and Simons sold the copper on at least seven occasions, police said.

The probe was conducted by a JCP&L asset protection staffer and police from Howell, Wall Township, Neptune Township, Freehold Township, Colts Neck, and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.