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A string of Thanksgiving weekend break-ins included one in which a Glen Rock resident who wasn't home called police after an app showed him two burglars entering his Dunham Place residence shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24.
Responding officers found a door smashed in and rooms ransacked, Lt. Frank Riggio said.
Police from Ridgewood and Hawthorne, along with a Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, converged on the area but didn't find anyone, he said.
Another burglary apparently occurred around the same time on Chatham Place, the lieutenant said. A relative caring for a pet while the owners were away found the rear sliding door smashed in and several rooms ransacked, he said.
It was around 6:30 a.m. Saturday when police in both Saddle Brook and Fair Lawn received burglary calls.
A burglar took a 2022 BMW X4 from in front of a home on Maple Avenue in Saddle Brook after climbing in through a front window and snatching the key fob from the kitchen, according to a homeowner who was awakened by the front door closing, said Capt. John A. Zotollo, Jr., the officer in charge of the department.
The same bandits appear responsible for a trio of failed attempts in Fair Lawn around the same time.
Someone tried and failed to get in through rear windows of homes on 30th Street, 37th Street and Nicholson Drive between 5:30-6:30 a.m., Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Eric Eleshewich said.
A witness reported seeing a suspicious dark sedan, possibly the BMW taken in Saddle Brook, fleeing the area with two occupants, the sergeant said.
Paramus police, meanwhile, responded to two residential burglaries and two commercial break-ins over the weekend.
An Abbott Road resident reported returning home around 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, to find the bedrooms ransacked, Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. The burglar or burglars had forced open a laundry room window, then stole jewelry, the chief said.
Shortly before 9:30 p.m., the rear door to a Mill Run home had been forced open and belongings gone through, Guidetti said. Detectives were awaiting a list of proceeds, he said.
Meanwhile, they're investigating two break-ins at the same Route 17 commercial storage yard roughly 12 hours apart, Guidetti said.
A 500-foot spool of copper wire worth about $1,500 was taken around 2:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, Nov. 26, the chief said. Another spool was stolen around 2:40 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27, he said.
"Burglars are often looking for signs that no one is home," Guidetti said. "They don’t want to make a lot of noise and always find the easiest way in."
He and his fellow chiefs, captains and other law enforcement officers agree on several measures that can help protect your home:
ALARM SYSTEMS should be supplied by a licensed alarm company with a central monitoring station. Check the alarm system regularly and advertise its presence to deter break-ins;
BUILDING EXTERIORS should be checked, including the roof, cellar and walls, to ensure that any and all openings have been secured;
TRIM any shrubs or other growth around your house so that your windows are clearly visible from everywhere;
REMOVE any landscaping, boxes, trash bins, vehicles or equipment that could help someone hide or get onto your roof;
LIGHTS must provide optimum visibility, both inside and out, with those outside having vandal-proof covers over the lights and power source;
LOCKS on all entrances should be double-cylinder deadbolts with moveable collars. The deadbolt should have at least a one-inch throw containing a hardened steel insert and be protected by a latch guard;
DOORS AND JAMBS should be of solid construction, with all exposed hinges pinned to prevent removal;
WINDOWS should have secure locks. Burglar-resistant glass treatments are also recommended, as are glass break sensors;
SAFEGUARD YOUR VALUABLES by engraving jewelry, watches, televisions and other portable items with your Social Security number or other identifiable label. Consider storing valuable jewelry and cash in a bank safe-deposit box or a hidden safe inside your home. Most burglars go directly to the master bedroom looking for jewelry and other small items;
SAFES should be fireproof, burglar-resistant and hidden;
CREATE THE APPEARANCE THAT SOMEONE IS HOME with timer-controlled or motion-detector lights. Keep a radio or television on a timer and blinds or shades on upper floors up;
BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR: If you see something you think is suspicious, don't waste a second: Call the police immediately. They would much rather rush out on a call that doesn’t produce an arrest than have you or your neighbors become victims. And you'd want your neighbors to do the same for you.
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