Thieving Couple Steals Jewelry, Watches, and LOTS of Clothes

Around 5:03 PM on May 16, 2024, Officers Christopher Howard and Christopher Yuhas with the Vineland Police Department first responded to a report of a shoplifting in progress at the Walmart (1070 W Landis Avenue). Officer Yuhas first arrived on scene and made contact with store employees as they were apprehending a couple. The couple was attempting to steal jewelry, watches, and children’s clothes.

After they were apprehended by store personnel, they were escorted over to the loss prevention office. A significant amount of stolen merchandise had been concealed in a large black backpack. They claimed that they arrived there in a taxi, and that they did not have any identification with them. They identified themselves as Tania Luengas-Monroy and Cristian Osorio-Monroy. Despite claiming to not have any identification, a subsequent search of Tania’s bag would reveal that she had an identification card issued by Colombia.

The officers spoke with store personnel, and they produced a receipt for the items that the thieving couple attempted to steal. Both Tania and Cristian were placed under arrest and informed that they were banned from all Walmart stores.

Each thief was transported separately to the Vineland Police Department for further processing. At the station, both individuals were photographed and fingerprinted. Tania and Cristian were each charged with shoplifting under 2C:20-11B(1) and eventually released with summonses pending their court appearances.

Cristian’s shoplifting case is still pending in court as of May 31, 2026. Tania’s case was disposed of in the Superior Court on January 20, 2026.

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