By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
LAWRENCE — For the second time in four weeks, a resident of the Avalon Run rental apartment complex was the victim of a home invasion in an incident that occurred shortly before noon Sept. 9, according to the Lawrence Township Police Department.
The 24-year-old victim heard a knock at the front door of the apartment in Building 6 of the rental apartment complex. The victim opened the door and was met by a black male, who was armed with a handgun, police said.
The man entered the apartment and then forced the victim to drive — at gunpoint — to a nearby bank and withdraw money from the victim’s bank account, police said.
The man forced the victim to turn over the money to him and to drive him to the City of Trenton. The man got out of the victim’s car and fled with the money, leaving the victim unharmed, police said.
Police are looking for the suspect, who is described as a black male who is 20 to 25 years old. He stands about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a thin but muscular build. He had a medium dark complexion and a small amount of facial hair on his chin.
The man was last seen wearing a white V-neck T-shirt and an unknown style of pants and sneakers. He had a tattoo on his upper right arm. He was seen in the vicinity of the Building 6 breezeway shortly before the robbery and home invasion, police said.
Police are looking into the possibility that this week’s home invasion is related to an earlier one that occurred at the Avalon Run rental apartment complex Aug. 12.
In that incident, two men entered an Avalon Run apartment through an unlocked glass sliding door, ransacked the apartment and held the victim at knifepoint. They forced the victim to drive to the bank and withdraw money from two ATM machines.
The men drove the victim to Trenton and released him there, unharmed. They fled on foot. One of the two robbers — Righteous Laster, 19, of Trenton — was arrested and charged in the incident. His accomplice is still on the loose.
Anyone with information about the Sept. 9 incident should call Lawrence police Det. Todd Caruso at 609-844-7127 or Det. Sgt. Joseph Lech IV at 609-844-7107, or by email at lawrencepolice@lawrencetwp.com.
