METUCHEN — It wasn’t fingerprints, but rather shoe prints that helped police nab a burglary suspect late last month.
David P. Chapman, 18, Red Bank, was arrested and charged with the burglary of the Elks Lodge on Norcross Avenue Dec. 30, Officer David Liantonio said.
When police arrived at the lodge at 12:45 p.m., they found that the rear door had been forced open and a safe and a computer were removed, he said.
Total losses were estimated at $1,500.
Chapman, an employee of American Shredder Inc., one of two businesses also located in the building, followed the officers around, asking questions and being “a little too helpful,” which raised suspicions, Liantonio said.
Police found footprints in a number of areas inside the Elks Lodge, including on a wall and near where the safe had been, he said.
Police took Chapman into custody and charged him with the burglary, after it was determined that Chapman’s footprints matched those found at the crime scene, Liantonio said.
Police found the safe outside the rear of the building. All of the proceeds from the theft were subsequently recovered, Liantonio said.
Chapman was released on his own recognizance.
— Bryan Sabella