METUCHEN – After the keen eye of a borough resident and a foot chase, police arrested one of two men who allegedly burglarized a Blair Avenue residence on July 9.
Police charged Chayanne Quiles, 20, Perth Amboy, for burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, defiant trespass, resisting arrest and aggravated assault upon a police officer, police said.
According to police reports, at 4:45 p.m., a resident came home and found two Hispanicmen in his home, while his wife was upstairs sleeping. When the two men noticed the resident, one of them fled from the home through a rear window. The other suspect dropped a bag of items that police say he was planning to take from the home, and he fled the house through the front door.
The resident called 911 and gave a description of the two men.
Police responding to the scene saw a man who fit the description of one of the suspects walking northbound on Grove Avenue, which is two blocks from the scene.
Police said that when the suspect noticed the police cars, he immediately ran into the woods off Grove Avenue leading to the Northeast Corridor train line. As officers pursued the suspect, they had to wait for a passing train. After the train passed, they lost sight of the suspect.
A borough resident later called police and reported that a man was hiding behind a garage on Grove Avenue.
As police approached the man, who was later identified as Quiles, he fled. As police chased Quiles, he allegedly threw a piece of furniture, which was in front of a residence, at police. Quiles was eventually apprehended by Lt. David Irizarry on Blair Avenue.
After searching Quiles, police said they found five watches in his pocket that had been taken from the Blair Avenue residence.
Quiles’ bail was set at $500,000 and he was transported to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick.
Patrolman Kenneth Bauer was taken to the hospital for minor injuries he received during the pursuit, and he was later released.
– Kathy Chang