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Little Ferry officers responded to 16 Washington Ave. around 1:05 p.m. on Monday, March 10, after receiving reports of a burglary in progress, according to Little Ferry Police Chief James Walters.
Dispatch warned responding officers that three to five men had forced their way into the home, stolen several items, and sped off in a black Ford pickup truck. Officer Montemurro arrived first and spotted a man casually walking away from the residence, police said.
At that moment, the homeowner came running down the street, pointing at the suspect and yelling, "He was in my house!"
The man, later identified as Deshawn Smith, was immediately detained, the chief said.
As Lt. Egan spoke with the victim, he learned that the other suspects had run out of the home and jumped into a black pickup truck with New Jersey plates (W30USH) before speeding east on Washington Avenue, police said.
Sgt. Hinchcliffe and Officer Deblasio quickly located the vehicle heading north on Werneking Place and conducted a stop on Poplar Avenue, authorities said.
Behind the wheel was Raqeeb Stubbs, who allegedly told officers that he thought the items in his truck had been “left out for trash” on the victim’s curb.
His passenger, Jeffrey Bennett, was also taken into custody after officers discovered he had an active ATS warrant, police said.
The homeowner was brought to the scene and immediately recognized his Apple iMac computer sitting in the truck bed, police said. He also identified both Smith and Bennett as the men he saw inside his home.
The victim told officers that he had been in the bathroom when he heard voices inside his house. When he came out, he saw two intruders rummaging through his belongings, police said. The men ran when they saw him, prompting his 911 call.
A further search of Smith allegedly turned up a set of keys taken from the victim’s home, police said.
Officers arrested all three men and transported them to police headquarters for processing. They were later remanded to the Bergen County Jail, police said.
Deshawn Smith is charged with burglary for unlawfully entering the victim’s home with the intent to commit a crime inside.
Jeffrey Bennett and Raqeeb Stubbs are both charged with theft by unlawful taking after police found stolen property from the victim’s home inside their pickup truck.
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