Police thwart theft

Officers saw four men allegedly open a rear warehouse door and load cases of Victoria’s Secret hand and body lotion into a minivan.

By: Leon Tovey
   Acting on a tip from company officials, township police thwarted a burglary at a warehouse in Dayton early Saturday morning, charging two men and recovering more than $43,000 in merchandise.
   Bulmero Mendoza, 34, of Tennessee and Jose Sanchez, 33, of Carteret were charged with theft in connection with the burglary, which occurred at a warehouse on Georges Road owned by the Medicia Corporation at about 1 a.m., police said.
   Police spokesman Detective James Ryan said Tuesday that security officers at the warehouse had been monitoring suspicious activity for several weeks and alerted police on Friday. Police stationed officers around the 10-acre complex to monitor activity and at about 1 a.m., Detective Ron Seaman observed four men open a rear door and load 200 cases of Victoria’s Secret hand and body lotion into a Ford Windstar minivan, police said.
   Mr. Mendoza and Mr. Sanchez were arrested as they tried to drive away in the minivan, police said. The two other men escaped into a wooded area near the warehouse and remain at large.
   Detective Ryan said Mr. Sanchez works at the warehouse and that police believe one of the two men who got away — both of whom are believed to be from New Brunswick — is also an employee at the warehouse.
   Detective Ryan said police are investigating whether others may have been involved in the robbery. Police believe the theft might have been timed to coincide with Monday’s national Day Without Immigrants, believing that confusion caused by the scheduled boycott would delay detection.
   Both Mr. Mendoza and Mr. Sanchez were lodged in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick in lieu of $20,000, police said.