On Thursday morning officers on patrol observed a vehicle with a New Jersey dealer license plate in the area of New Street and North Water Street in Byram.
Police did a DMV query on the plate which determined the plate was stolen from a lot in Lodi, New Jersy.
Police monitored the car but did not see anyone approach it for a half an hour at which point they contacted Riverside Towing to remove the vehicle from the roadway.
While waiting for the tow truck to arrive, a man came out of the residence and said the car belonged to him. The owner identified himself by his Peruvian passport as Carlos Collantes, 48, of 286 Ely Ave in Norwalk.
Collantes said a friend had given him the license plate and told him he’d be able to use it without issues.
Police learned Collantes had an active arrest out of Norwalk and was arrested.
His bond was set at $1,000 which he was unable to post. He has a court date in Norwalk on March 1, 2019.