UPPER FREEHOLD — Like many homes in Upper Freehold Township, the large homes in Stone Tavern Estates, along with the expansive properties that surround them, represent not only a certain level of luxury, but also a sense of safety in their tucked-away nook of the rural community.
For two families in the development, however, some of the things they most treasure about their residences have been thrown into question.
For almost two years, the Barnet family and the Bruzzese family — who live next door to each other on Babbitt Way — have been vexed by a trespasser who leaves behind a mess with each of his unwelcome visits.
“It seems really, really weird,” Barry Barnet said. “We are really kind of concerned.”
Barry and his wife, Jan, were among the development’s original residents when the homes were constructed 17 years ago.
Their 3.25-acre lot, like the others in the neighborhood, consisted only of grass, but the couple eventually decided to naturalize about two-thirds of the parcel by planting trees and other greenery in a horseshoe formation.
Fast forward to the fall of 2010. As the plantings matured to create woods, the problem began. The Barnets thought it innocu- ous enough at first when they began occasionally discovering Busch Light beer cans that appeared to have been thrown from the street into the edge of their wooded area.
They dismissed the somewhat minor inconvenience with the thought that teenagers were behind it.
Barry, who is a former professional hike leader, began forging trails through the patch of forest, indulging in his love of nature as he walked and maintained the paths.
“I love walking through there,” he said. “It’s very therapeutic, very relaxed.”
One day’s stroll in the woods, however, marred his peaceful enjoyment.
“I stepped in crap right in the middle of the trail,” he said.
At the time, he didn’t think much of it, assuming the mess was left by a stray dog.
His theory was dispelled the next time he stumbled upon a pile of excrement, as it was neatly topped with a single paper towel.
“I said, ‘Oh my God, it’s not an animal. It’s a person,’ ” he said.
As time went on, Barnet found such packages left behind at least once or twice a month, always in the middle of one of his trails, and always with a paper towel laid atop them.
“That’s what’s so weird about it,” he said. [It’s] like someone almost put it there as a favor. It’s almost like a nice gesture.”
Barnet decided to take action and he set up a surveillance schedule that had him checking the woods frequently for intruders.
He soon figured out that the trespassing was occurring in the middle of the night.
He reported the issue to the New Jersey State Police — who patrol Upper Freehold — on several occasions. Acknowledging the bizarre nature of the situation, police told Barnet they would step up patrols in the area and they also offered up some advice, he said.
According to Barnet, one trooper suggested that Barnet install a video camera, but he was reluctant, figuring the individual would spot and steal the equipment.
He said another officer suggested that he put up handwritten notes threatening arrest for the trespasser, a recommendation Barnet followed. He took it a step further by also posting 10 “No Trespassing” signs on wooden posts.
“They disappeared within the span of about a week,” he said.
Barnet eventually began venturing out late at night, peering into the wooded area from the street with a flashlight in hope of nabbing the perpetrator.
“What bewildered me is that whoever is going in there at night is pretty brave,” he said.
One police officer with whom Barnet spoke warned him about trying to catch the trespasser in the woods, saying the person could react violently if confronted, he said.
A check of the state police records management system by New Jersey State Police Lt. Tom Janicky yielded no record of calls
REGIONAL INTEREST
from Barnet or Bruzzese, but state police spokesman Lt. Stephen Jones pointed out that if the residents did not request a trooper to come out to the site, or if the call resulted in a car being dispatched to the overall area to investigate, the records would not be stored in that system.
“We’ve definitely stepped up patrols in the area,” Janicky stated, adding that undercover detectives have been placed in the area as a result of robberies and suspicious activity there.
According to Jones, police have made numerous burglary arrests in the area over the past few months.
Although the Bruzzese family was not thrilled about the thought of a stranger lurking near their property, the situation technically did not affect them directly, because the rubbish was always left behind on the Barnets’ property, not theirs, despite the fact that the woods border both tracts, separated by a dirt road that belongs to the Bruzzese family.
Adding to the oddity of the situation is the fact that the small wooded area on the Barnets’ property is only accessible from Babbitt Way or Yeger Drive, which is also lined with homes boasting sprawling lawns.
Fred Bruzzese pointed out that the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area is right up the road, with more than 6,000 acres where such a person could seek refuge. What, he asks, would make someone come to this residential area time and time again?
“I think the man is insane,” he said. “When I thought it was teenagers, I wasn’t as concerned, but obviously, there is a deranged person around here.”
The problem really hit home for the Bruzzese family a couple of weeks ago, when a member of the household was outside during the early morning hours and inadvertently startled the outdoor intruder.
There was a crashing sound in the woods and then a man wearing a plaid shirt fled toward the street. Seeing that, the frightened family member quickly headed for the house. At that point, Fred Bruzzese contacted the police.
“I feel like we’re in danger,” he said. “You are talking about someone lurking around in the darkness. This is not a normal human being. We are extremely desperate. We have a potentially dangerous situation.”
Both families said they have not heard any reports of similar incidents from other neighbors. Word of the elusive man has made its way around the neighborhood, however, and children have taken to calling him “the Pooper.” But it is no laughing matter to the families affected.
The good news is that ever since the morning when the man was glimpsed as he fled his stomping grounds on private property, no evidence of his return has surfaced.
“I’m not confident that will last,” Barnet said.
Jones said police will likely begin taking a closer look at Babbitt Way now that the issue has been brought to their attention.
“I’m sure Lt. Janicky would be happy to speak with the homeowners about this issue,” Jones said.