What was meant to be a normal ski meet turned into a police investigation on February 11th, 2026 when several sets of skis were stolen at Mount Peter Ski Area during a New Jersey Interscholastic Ski Racing association event that involved Bergen and Passaic County teams.
The Town of Warwick Police Department explained that detectives had reviewed the surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses. Almost a week later, they arrested Kevin R. Malkin. Malkin was a 39 year old from Hopatcong, New Jersey. Police charged Malkin with third-degree grand larceny. He was a meet official and a representative for Atomic Skis, the same brand that was reported stolen. After Malkin was arrested, he went through processing but was released under New York’s bail reform law. Between $4,000 and $10,000 of skis and poles were stolen at the meet.
As of now, only four of the seven stolen sets have been recovered, and the investigation is still ongoing. The stolen skis belonged to several racers from schools like Don Bosco, Ridgewood, Tenafly, and even our own school, Wayne Valley.
One of our own students, Anna Anisimenko, had her skis stolen on her senior night, a celebratory night for Wayne Valley skiing seniors. Anna explained that some people thought that parents had just switched the skis with their child’s skis, but the next day the police confirmed that they had been stolen. Anisimenko states, “I was surprised as I have been skiing for 13 years and this has never happened to me before.”
She also said how after 6 days the police arrested the suspect and found some of the pairs of skis. “Most likely one of the pairs are my skis as we tried fitting my boots into the binding and they fit. However, my skis are currently still in police custody.” Anna was able to participate in the next race because Wayne Ski Barns gave her a deal to purchase new skis and still race.
Parents from some of the races explained how this theft caused serious problems for the athletes. Since these racing skis are custom fitted, they are very expensive and hard to replace. Many student-athletes were worried they were going to miss upcoming races because of the stolen skis. The news of the stolen ski equipment spread quickly, as local businesses stepped in to try and help by offering discounted replacements for the skiers. Police officers also credited Mount Peter for getting the surveillance footage very quickly, which allowed them to identify the suspect and help the case move faster.
The goal is for the police to find the remaining stolen skis and restore them to their original owners.
