SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Arrest may help solve rash of burglaries

By Victoria Hurley Shubert, Packet Media Group
       A rash of burglaries in Princeton and surrounding municipalities have police in several jurisdictions concerned and homeowners worried, but an arrest made in South Brunswick late last week may hold the key to solving the cases.
   In the last month, there have been several burglaries or burglary attempts in the region with seven in Princeton Borough alone, the most recent taking place last week.
   During the overnight hours of May 24-25, there were several burglaries between 11:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. in the eastern portion of the borough, closest to South Brunswick, where computers, cameras and other items were taken from homes with unlocked doors, according to police.
   One Nassau Street homeowner had his iPad and Acura car stolen on March 18.
   Princeton Borough police are also investigating a burglary on May 1 at the Princeton Jewish Center on Nassau Street where various items were taken from offices, including cash.
   The police have formed a multi-jurisdictional task force to look into the matter.
   ”We definitely believe the cases are related,” said Detective Sgt. James Ryan of the South Brunswick police on May 29.
   He was unable to disclose anymore information about the arrest, citing the ongoing investigation.
   There was a meeting organized by the South Brunswick Police Department between several local police departments on May 29, according to Sgt. Ryan.
   Sgt. Ryan declined to disclose other involved jurisdictions because of the ongoing investigation.
   ”We have several law enforcement agencies we are sharing information with for intelligence purposes,” said Sgt. Ryan. “There is a lot of intelligence sharing and a good collaborative effort. By the information sharing we are a lot further along than we were a few days ago.”
   The Middlesex County and Mercer County Prosecutor’s offices were present for the meeting.
   ”(We met) to review the different cases and identify patterns,” said Sgt. Ryan. “South Brunswick was able to make an arrest late last week and it has advanced the investigation for all the agencies involved. Our theory is the suspect is targeting areas in close proximity to major roadways. He would not hit the heart of Kendall Park or Monmouth Junction, they are staying close to (the) major roadway.”
   The burglaries in South Brunswick have taken place in different areas of the municipality during the last six weeks, and targeted occupied homes with unlocked doors and sliding doors; electronics and other items easily taken were stolen.
   ”It’s not clear the suspect knew they were occupied,” said Sgt. Ryan. “But they were unlocked doors.”
   The most recent break-in was May 20, but police do not think it is related to the overall string of burglaries.
   Last week South Brunswick police issued a notice to residents about burglaries in their town. “We noticed an overnight pattern of burglaries and it’s unusual to have that,” said Sgt. Ryan.
   ”Our four burglaries in the month of April, we believe, are connected to Princeton Borough’s burglaries,” said Sgt. Ryan. “Princeton Borough has burglaries in March, we had some in April and (the suspects) returned to them in May.”
   In Princeton Borough, there was another rash of burglaries in late March where five homes were broken into during evening and nighttime hours. In two instances entry was made into the homes and jewelry was taken. In most instances entry was made or attempted by breaking a first floor or basement window, and in one case entry was made through an unlocked door.
   During the St. Patrick’s Day weekend in March, there were 18 car burglaries reported in the Borough where unlocked vehicles were entered and various items in plain view were stolen. Most of the entries were made on Hawthorne Avenue, where six cars were entered. Westcott Road and Jefferson road each had five vehicles that items were stolen from; one vehicle each on Hunter Road and Linden Lane were entered. Items taken included cash, purses, credit cards, electronics and other miscellaneous items. In one incident a bicycle was stolen from an unlocked garage as well. All vehicles were parked in the driveways of the owners’ residences.
   Princeton Township, which surrounds Princeton Borough, has also seen its share of burglaries, the most recent occurring over the Memorial Day weekend in areas of town close to the eastern section of the borough.
   During the weekend of May 24-26, burglars cut away a screen door of a pool house on Princeton Kingston Road and possibly used the pool. The homeowners do not think anything was taken.
   On May 7, a victim reported that between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. a rear door was damaged at a home on Marion Road West in an attempt to gain entry to the house.
   There were a couple of burglaries or attempted burglaries in Princeton Township in the months between May and January, when there was another serious rash in the eastern section of the township close to the South Brunswick border.
   A Princeton Kingston Road homeowner found his rear garage door had been left open and discovered items missing from his car on Jan. 17. His vehicle, which had been left unlocked and parked in the garage, had been entered and keys and loose change had been stolen from inside.
   Further down the same street a resident stated that when she entered her garage that same morning she observed two boxes lying on the garage floor that had previously been stacked under a window. The resident stated she also observed the same window to be unlocked and walked around the garage to find a window screen had been removed from the window frame and was lying horizontally against the garage siding.
   A third homeowner on Princeton Kingston Road reported they were upstairs in their bedroom around 3 a.m. and heard their side sliding door open and their dog bark that same morning. Police found a side sliding door to the home partially open.
   Elsewhere in that neighborhood, a Prospect Avenue resident woke up that day to find her purse, car keys and camera missing from inside the house near her front door. The resident stated that her vehicle was entered as well but there was nothing taken from the interior. The resident estimated the value of her stolen property at $230.
   All three police departments are willing to do vacant home checks and security assessments for homeowners if requested.
   Police are reminding people to call if they hear or see anything out of the ordinary. Residents reporting unusual noises or people could help police solve the case, said Capt. Sutter.