By: Eileen Oldfield – Staff Writer
Manville police charged resident Robert M. Rogers with several counts of burglary and other offenses in connection with a string of vehicle burglaries and electronics thefts occurring Tuesday morning, they said.
Mr. Rogers, 42, no address given, was charged with seven counts of third-degree burglary, one count of fourth-degree unlawful taking of means of conveyance and six counts of theft, a disorderly persons offense. He was lodged in Somerset County Jail in lieu of $35,000 bail, set by Judge Robert Reed.
Police said they were dispatched to 233 Pope St. at approximately 4 a.m., on a report of someone breaking into a vehicle parked on the street. Upon arriving at the scene, patrols found Mr. Rogers sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle belonging to a Pope Street resident. Police questioned Mr. Rogers, who admitted to driving a stolen vehicle around the block, and entering six vehicles by unlocking doors or shattering the windows, and taking miscellaneous electronics, jewelry and tools.
A total of nine vehicles in the Pope Street area were found burglarized, including six with shattered windows. Stereos and GPS units were missing from four of the nine vehicles. Mr. Rodgers was found with electronics, including stereos and GPS units, tools, jewelry, and an undisclosed amount of cash. Shattered glass was found on his clothes, too, police said.
In addition to the Pope Street incidents, police said Mr. Rogers admitted to breaking into a vehicle parked at Walmart on North Main Street at approximately 4:30 p.m. July 28, police said. Seven hundred dollars in cash had been taken from a purse inside the vehicle, which Mr. Rogers said he shared with an unidentified co-defendant.
An investigation into the theft is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Ronald Gazaway of the Manville Police Department at (908) 725-1900, ext. 618.

