SOUTH BRUNSWICK — An Irvington man who squeezed through a rooftop exhaust fan and lowered himself into a warehouse on Chris Court has been charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft, according to the South Brunswick Township Police Department.
Momodu Rogers, 38, of Irvington, entered the warehouse several times — in November 2013 and on Sept. 25 of this year, police said. He would push the copper bars, worth thousands of dollars, out through a small window.
There were no signs of forced entry, and the burglar alarm was never triggered, police said. That’s because Mr. Rogers — who is a former employee of the business — would squeeze down the exhaust fan into the building and then exit via the roof to avoid setting off the burglar alarm.
It appeared that Mr. Rogers would climb up 30 feet on a nearby dust collector and then jump to the warehouse roof. Then, he would squeeze through the exhaust fan and drop down into the warehouse, police said.
Following last month’s burglary and theft, Detectives Mike Pellino and Dennis Yuhasz reviewed surveillance tapes from area businesses and noticed a sport utility vehicle near the warehouse during the overnight hours, police said.
The detectives learned that Mr. Rogers’ friend owned a sport utility vehicle. They found Mr. Rogers driving a Dodge Durango in Union Township on Oct. 19, police said. Further investigation led them to link Mr. Rogers to the burglaries.
Chief of Police Raymond Hayducka said Mr. Rogers “tried an unconventional method to commit his crime, but the determination and perseverance of the detectives is what tracked him down.”
“Mr. Rogers could avoid setting off the alarm, but not avoid our police department following all the leads. This is an example of the great police work our department does every day,” Chief Hayducka said.
Mr. Rogers is being held on $10,000 bail in the Middlesex County Correction Center.
