Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Criminal Justice announced on May 13 the arrests of three individuals for their alleged roles in an auto theft trafficking ring that targeted commercial and passenger vehicles.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about auto theft, which can lead to increased costs for consumers, businesses, and insurance companies. The disruption caused by these crimes affects not only property but also the daily lives of residents across New Jersey.
Yosiel Ruiz-Linares, 33, of Elizabeth is charged as a leader of an auto theft trafficking network along with multiple related offenses. Yadier Evora-Martinez, 31, of Orlando faces conspiracy and stolen property charges. Angel M. Amendanosiguencia, 42, of Trenton is charged with receiving stolen motor vehicles. All charges range from second- to fourth-degree offenses.
“Vehicles are among the most expensive purchases people and businesses make,” said Attorney General Davenport. “Auto theft drives up prices for consumers, businesses, and insurance companies and disrupts the lives of ordinary New Jersey residents. Our office will continue to use our resources to take down theft rings like this one to protect New Jerseyans and their investments.” Theresa L. Hilton said: “The defendants charged in this case are alleged to have set up a sophisticated operation to get their hands on stolen commercial vehicles and disguise the true identity – and thus the ownership – of the vehicles. Excellent investigative work by our division and by the New Jersey State Police has put these alleged offenders out of business.” Jeanne Hengemuhle added: “Vehicle theft isn’t just a property crime — it’s a direct disruption to people’s lives… The arrests of these individuals mark an important step toward protecting consumers and ending the chaos caused by these thefts.”
According to documents filed in court, Ruiz-Linares allegedly operated an organized enterprise responsible for stealing, storing, transporting, re-identifying (including VIN tampering), and redistributing both commercial trucks such as Freightliners or box trucks as well as passenger cars using fraudulent titles or cloned identifiers.
On May 8 state police executed a search warrant at a Trenton location associated with Ruiz-Linares where they recovered credit card skimming devices, suspected criminal proceeds totaling about $10,000 cash plus blank cards; fraudulent titles; VIN programming equipment; burglar tools; master keys; along with several confirmed stolen vehicles listed in law enforcement databases.
Second-degree crimes may result in five-to-ten years’ imprisonment while third- or fourth-degree offenses carry lower sentences if convicted. The prosecution is led by Deputy Attorney General Zachary Zuczek.
According to the official website, the New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin aims to protect residents’ lives and property through legal standards enforcement statewide—including oversight across all counties—and provides services such as law enforcement support or consumer protection initiatives.
