That same day, another elderly resident in the complex reported the theft of a gold necklace.
Detectives Mark Ciavirella and Adrian Sulejmani determined that the same contractor – identified as Michael Bartley, 41, of the Jersey Shore town of Bayville -- entered the bedrooms of both victims, where the fire alarms were located, Detective Capt. Dan Daly said.
Bartley confessed and police recovered the necklace, Daly said. They were in the process of recovering the ring.
Bartley, meanwhile, was charged with theft and sent to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson.
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