By Leah Kahn, Staff Writer
LAWRENCE — For the second time in five days, residents of an apartment at the Avalon Run rental apartment complex were victimized by an armed intruder who knocks on the door to get inside, according to police Lt. Joseph Amodio.
The latest incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m. Monday, when a resident of an Avalon Run apartment answered a knock on his door and was confronted by the intruder, Lt. Amodio said. The man was armed with a handgun.
At gunpoint, the man forced the victim and three of his roommates into a rear room of the apartment, Lt. Amodio said. The man left the apartment after about 10 minutes, but he did not take anything. The victims were unharmed.
After they were shown a sketch of a man who used the same tactics to get into another Avalon Run apartment on Sept. 9, the victims said they believed that it is the same man who entered their apartment, Lt. Amodio said.
In the Sept. 9 incident, the victim heard a knock on the door. When he opened the door, he was met by a black man who was armed with a handgun. The man entered the apartment and then forced the victim to drive to a nearby bank and withdraw cash.
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.
In both instances, the man was described as a black male between 20 and 25 years old, standing about 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, with a thin but muscular build. He had a medium-dark complexion and was clean-shaven.
On Monday, he was reported to be wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, a black baseball cap, light-colored jeans and work boots.
Police are urging residents to use caution when answering the door, and to report any suspicious persons or activity to the Lawrence Township Police Department.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact Detective. Robert Potter at 609-844-7123 or Detective Sgt. Joseph Lech IV at 609-844-7107, or by email at lawrencepolice@lawrencetwp.com.
The Police Department also is looking into whether this series of armed robberies is connected to an incident last month in which two men entered an Avalon Run apartment through an unlocked sliding glass door.
They ransacked the apartment and held the victim at knifepoint, police said. They forced the victim to drive to the bank and withdraw cash from two ATM machines. The men drove the victim to Trenton and released him there, unharmed, before they fled on foot.
One of the two men, Righteous Laster, 19, of Trenton, was arrested and charged in the Aug. 12 incident. His accomplice is still on the loose.
