Millburn police say the 47-year-old Gonzalez was arrested Monday after reporting to police headquarters and was charged Tuesday with shoplifting and criminal mischief.
He is accused of taking a $1,400 men's satchel from the Polo Ralph Lauren store in the Short Hills Mall on June 29.
Gonzalez, who was fired March 17 after the university got fed up with his antics on and off the court, was not immediately available for comment.
Gerald Krovatin is representing Gonzalez in a lawsuit over his dismissal. He did not return a telephone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.
A spokeswoman for the Essex County prosecutor's office says the shoplifting charge is a third-degree offense punishable by up to five years in jail.
