Monroe and Jamesburg seek thief in ninee-store spree
By: Stephanie Brown
Monroe and Jamesburg police are investigating the burglaries of nine borough and township businesses that are believed to have happened over the weekend.
Police do not have an estimated cost of damages, but said a total of $585 was stolen from four of the establishments. According to police, one or more men entered five businesses in Jamesburg and four in Monroe.
Acting Jamesburg Police Chief Paul Karkoska and Monroe Detective Sgt. Lawrence Linke said they believe the cases are related, but they do not have any suspects. Sgt. Linke said the burglar or burglars who committed the crimes were either local or came in via the N.J. Turnpike.
"We’ve always had problems with people coming off the turnpike," he said.
Jamesburg police responded to the first burglary at 10:30 p.m. Saturday when they received a call from the owner of GC Automotive on John Street, who discovered that $50 had been stolen from his shop. Police said the burglar entered the building from a door the owner had left unlocked for about an hour or two while he went outside nearby.
On Sunday at 9:30 a.m., Jamesburg police responded to call from The House of Hope Church office in Jamesburg Center, 200 Buckelew Ave. Once there, police said they found someone had burglarized the church office and nearby Bryant Staffing by forcing open the doors. They also found that someone broke the glass door to Deli & Grill By the Lake and stole $220. All businesses are in the Jamesburg Center.
Shortly after at 10 a.m. Sunday, Jamesburg police responded to a call from Day Spa Salon on Forsgate Drive and discovered that someone had broken in through a rear door and stole $140 after it closed at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
In Monroe police said they responded to Sal’s Roma Deli, 1 Rossmoor Drive, at 5:20 p.m. Saturday, where a worker said someone stole $175. According to police, the worker said he locked the deli at 5 p.m. and left for 15 minutes. After seeing a silver or gray Kia parked out front, the employee re-entered the deli to see if everything was OK and was confronted by a man, who ran through the front and left in the car.
Monroe police said the subject had gained entry to the deli by breaking a pane of glass in the rear door.
Sgt. Linke said the timing of the burglaries makes him hesitant to believe one person committed the crimes. He said police know that the burglary at Sal’s occurred just after 5 p.m. and the theft at the Day Spa Salon had to have occurred sometime after 6 p.m. when the spa closed.
"Why would you take a chance of breaking into another place after you almost got caught," he asked.
On Sunday morning a representative of Rossmoor sales reported that someone broke a glass door and gained access to three separate offices, Rossmoor Sales, The Norton Group, and Pro-Metro. Nothing was reported missing, and police believe the burglary occurred between Friday evening and Sunday morning.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jason Grosser at (732) 521-0222, ext. 147, at the Monroe Township Police Department or the Jamesburg Police Department at (732) 521-0011.

