The owners weren't home when several thousand dollars worth of items were stolen, including designer bags and iPods, on July 29, 2015, Detective Sgt. Vincent Aiello said.
Responding offices found the cigarette filter, which they gave to the Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification, Aiello said.
The BCI forwarded it to the State Police lab for DNA analysis.
Six days short of a year later, Aiello said, analysts found a match: Miguel DeJesus, 19, who has addresses in Bergenfield and Teaneck.
A judge ordered DeJesus held on $25,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail pending court action on charges of burglary and theft.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Cresskill-Closter and receive free news updates.