MARLBORO — The discovery of a group of men who allegedly attempted to steal copper wiring from the grounds of the Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital, Route 520, led to the arrest of two fugitives who are wanted in other states, according to police.
On July 31, officers found a parked car with an expired registration on Congressional Drive, which is adjacent to the hospital property, Marlboro police Capt. Bart Lombardo said. Police officers then went to the hospital — which was closed by the state in 1998 — where they found three Pennsylvania residents burglarizing a building, he said.
Police arrested Charles Barton, 30, of Warrington, Pa., Sean Quinn, 31, of Fairless Hills, Pa., and William Thomas, 30, of Levittown, Pa. All three individuals were charged with burglary, defiant trespassing, receiving stolen property and possession of burglary tools, Lombardo said.
Upon further investigation, police determined Quinn was wanted on a warrant in Texas and Thomas was wanted in Pennsylvania, Lombardo said.
Authorities charged Quinn and Thomas with being fugitives of justice and transported them to the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, where they are being held while awaiting extradition, Lombardo said.
Barton was brought to the county jail, but was released after he made bond on Aug. 2, according to the National Victim Notification Network’s website.
The incident follows a current trend in which police have noticed a spike in robbery attempts at the shuttered psychiatric hospital, Lombardo said.
“The problems we are having at the state hospital are ongoing with salvage thefts,” he said. “It is common for individuals to park nearby and go on the state grounds.”
In Marlboro, that type of crime has largely been limited to the hospital property, Lombardo said.