$20,000 In Prom Dresses Stolen From Store
Forty dresses taken during late night burglary
Forty prom dresses worth $20,000 were reported stolen from the Red Carpet Pageant & Prom Store on Route 23 sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, Wayne Police said.
Officer Rick Vanderclock reported that he responded to a burglary at the facility shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The incident report states that the owner Patricia Dowling told Vanderclock that, along with the 40 dresses, $600 in cash was taken from the register.
Police reported the dresses were worth between $200 and $700 each.
Dowling told police she closed the business Tuesday at 9 p.m. and arrived at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday to open the establishment.
The report states that the rear door of the facility was not secured.
Police reported that tuxedos on racks on the first floor were dropped on the ground; the dresses were located on the second floor.
The report states that Dowling said whoever entered the business left a cup from Five Guys Burgers and Fries at the business.
Vanderclock reported that he saw a security system inside the store but was told by Dowling that the cameras at the business do not record anything.
Wayne police detectives took photographs and processed the scene.
Dowling could not be reached for comment.
Anyone with information regarding the incident can call the Wayne Police Detective Bureau at 973-633-3530.
Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
In This article
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The Red Carpet Pageant and Prom
1200 State Route 23, Wayne, NJ -
Wayne Police Department
475 Valley Rd, Wayne, NJ
John Kessel
2:50 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Maybe the police should look at the finger print from the cup and if the store hours are from 12:00 PM - 9:00PM Monday through Friday, why is she opening the store at 2:20 PM!!
John Kessel
2:53 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
and we called before 2:20 and she answered the phone stating that the computer system was down and she took down my information to call me back as she had to look the receipts manually.! If this all happened on Tuesday why couldn't she just say that over the phone! Instead of lying!
Karen Verblaauw
8:54 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
I spoke to her at 2:15 and she told me the same thing, computer was down, took my info and would get back to me. Never said anything about a robbery and havent heard from her yet.
Karen
John Kessel
2:53 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
SHE IS A LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nose Wayne
3:20 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
John, DID YOU TELL THAT TO THE POLICE??
Karen Verblaauw
9:02 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Does this mean that our dresses are covered under the stores insurance policy???
Nose Wayne
7:46 am on Friday, May 18, 2012
Who leaves $600 laying around in a cash register?
Linda
9:56 am on Friday, May 18, 2012
http://www.northjersey.com/pequannock/051812_North_Jersey_prom_dreams_turn_nightmarish_over_undelivered_gowns.html
Yeah - she's a lying sack...
Justice
11:15 am on Friday, May 18, 2012
There was an Eyewitness News Truck in their parking lot about an hour ago????
Joanne
4:10 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Make complaints to the BBB and get on with your lives...you all got had!!! Do your research next time before you buy. Oh wait senior prom is only once...haha
abbie
5:23 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
I was in the store a week ago and the employees told me that they had not been paid in a very long time and that the rent was not being paid. I was also told that mysteriously the burglar alarm system was disabled earlier that day and employees said they thought the owner was going to stage another "burglary" like the one last year. They said this a week before the owner called the police to report the burglary. Perhaps police should talk to employees and perhaps charge the owner with filing a false report and actually robbing her own store? I guess it could just be one big coincidence though, right?
Pad
4:18 pm on Sunday, May 20, 2012
The robbery doesn't take a Dick Tracy to realize its all a BS story. If so, she should be arrested and charged. This is all a scam to cover up her bad buisness practices. This owner should be compelled to take a lie detector test. All the people who lost out on this store should file lawsuits.
Al Scala
5:06 pm on Sunday, May 20, 2012
If she carries business owners insurance, she should have insured her Business Personal Property. Stock, or her inventory of dresses is included in that. If she makes a claim and is paid for her alleged loss, she can be reimbursed for her cost of these dresses, including any related shipping costs. Therefore, her customers should be reimbursed. In a claim like this, it should be investigated very carefully, with a full examination of her books and records. She may be also required to be examined under oath, (EUO) I'm sure a thorough investigation will be done by her insurer.
Nose Wayne
10:19 pm on Sunday, May 20, 2012
Abbie, I hope the police talk to the same people you did.The burglar alarm was off that day? Rear door was found "not secured",what the heck does that mean? Can't wait to hear the rest of this one!! Pad, Could not agree more,scam,cover up,poor girls that didn't get their dresses for the prom. Sounds like a story for "SHAME ON YOU"
Lorraine
4:23 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
What happened to my posting? I made a comment last week and now it seems to have disappeared?
Terryann Schwiederek
5:14 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
She is the BIGGEST liar and cheat going! I ordered my daughter's dress back in early March and got the run around for the entire month of April! They gave me owner's cell phone numbers to call and they "assured" me they would call me back in the hour...no calls! No answers as to when my daughters dress would be in, had to call manufacturer and would get back to me...of course no call! I finally got one decent person on the phone who told me that the UPS deliveries that were coming in were all COD and the owner is NEVER there with a check so they get returned and I was one of more than 40 or 50 people getitng the same run around. They of course could not process a refund so I had to fight it with my banki to get my moeny back and then had to close the account so they couldn't charge me again! This is all 2 1/2 weeks before my daughters prom - we had to finad another dress from a company in California that could ship it overnight in one of the only sizes avaiable so it was too big and I had a HUGE alteration bill on top of it! The store owners here really ruined so many girls proms and I am THRILLED she will be out of business!!!!!!!!!
Nose Wayne
11:43 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Lorraine,It Disappeared, just like everyones dresses!!
Suzanne Linda
6:00 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
OMG If What you Are All Saying is True, SHAME on The Store owner!!!!
Can't Wait to Read how it was "proven to be a Scam'.... by her
And How She willl have to pay Each and Every One of You People Back!!!!!
(after you All filed suits)....
God Bless....& Good Luck ALL of you....
Lori W.
9:38 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Yeah, I agree file a complaint with the BBB. Her stories are conflicting. She is someone you obviously can not trust. If she IS paying her insurance I wouldn't doubt the robbery is made up in an effort for her to get some cash and try to get herself out of all her financial problems. This woman doesn't deserve to run a business, she should be in jail!! Please report anything you know to the police, BBB and her insurance company if you can find out that information. Some of those unpaid employees might know that information. :)
This is too bad for all of the girls, but it isn't a bad idea to review business on BBB's website before making large purchases. If there are alot of complaints on there and you still do business with them, good luck with that!!!