Police seek help finding homeless suspect in burglaries from Allendale to Ridgewood

HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? Authorities in Bergen and Passaic counties continued a search today for a homeless ex-con whom they’ve identified as a bicycle-riding burglar who struck in Allendale, Closter, Norwood, Ramsey, Ridgewood and elsewhere.

Photo Credit: *Cliffview Pilot File Photo*

Jerry DeMarco

07/28/2015 7:49 p.m.

Allendale police issued surveillance images of 47-year-old James Rainsford taken during a Franklin Turnpike residential burglary just after midnight July 17 (above).

In the video, he tried to open several doors before getting in — setting off an alarm.

He then takes off on a bicycle.

“Essentially, he looks for an open door to gain entry into homes while the occupants are asleep, then takes money or whatever else he can grab before exiting,” Allendale Police Chief George Scherb told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

Scherb’s detectives and investigators from other towns compared notes and identified Rainsford — believed homeless in the Paterson area — as their primary suspect.

Involved agencies also include the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the municipal departments from within the county and Little Falls and North Haledon police.

If you see Rainsford, or know where to find him, dial 911 or call your local police department.

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