Violent retail thefts are concerningly on the rise and New Jersey is fighting back

🔴 Shoplifting and retail violence rose sharply in 2024, with organized crime behind half of all thefts

🔴 Retail crime groups now use warehouses and online marketplaces to sell stolen goods

🔴 New Jersey has toughened laws to crack down on organized retail crime

A new report finds that violence and shoplifting at stores throughout the country are sharply on the rise, and it's hurting consumers.

Retailers reported 18% more shoplifting incidents in 2024 when compared to 2023, and the number of threats or violent incidents during shoplifting increased by 17%.

Organized crime behind surge in U.S. retail theft

The study released by the National Retail Federation last week found that it's not small-time thieves driving the increase.

Around half of all shoplifting and supply chain theft was linked back to organized retail crime, according to the 2025 report.

Massive, transnational ORC groups have made an industry out of stealing from stores.

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There are warehouses filled floor to ceiling with stolen goods, according to John Holub, the president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association.

Holub said these groups have sophisticated, computerized systems to track the merchandise they steal and later sell.

High-tech thieves reselling stolen goods online

Gone are the days when thieves would need to resell the stolen property in a dark alley to a fence for 20 cents on the dollar, Holub said.

Now, they put the shoplifted items online for resale and get 80 cents on the dollar. And the merchandise can be anything from baby food to electronics.

"If it's baby formula, it's not stored properly, and the consumer buys it, then there are some clear health and safety risks associated with stolen products," Holub said.

Impact on consumers and stores

Along with creating safety hazards, shoplifting by ORC groups has worsened the shopping experience for legal consumers.

It's fairly common to see everyday items like toothpaste locked up behind clear plastic on shelves in stores.

While Holub said New Jersey is no stranger to these retail theft rings, the state is fighting back.

New Jersey cracks down with tougher retail theft laws

In April, Gov. Murphy signed into law stricter new punishments for members of ORC enterprises.

One important part of the legislation was that the state Attorney General's Office must investigate and deter organized retail theft. That includes the creation of a task force or unit dedicated to retail theft investigations.

And any assault against a retail employee who is on the job will now be charged as an aggravated assault, upgraded from simple assault.

Now, putting stolen goods up for sale is a new crime. The disorderly persons offense is called fostering the sale of stolen property.

Repeated offenders involved in organized retail theft can also face harsher sentences, and more expensive stolen goods will lead to more serious charges.

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