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Police & Fire
Thieves Shatter Windows, Steal Cash From Toms River Restaurants: Police Thieves Shatter Windows, Steal Cash From Toms River Restaurants: Police
Thieves Shatter Windows, Steal Cash From Toms River Restaurants: Police Two restaurants in Toms River had money stolen from them by brick-wielding thieves overnight, authorities said. In a news release, Toms River police said they were investigating burglaries, thefts, and "criminal mischief" at Breakin Bread Eatery and New York Water Bagel Company. Both restaurants are on Fischer Boulevard. The burglaries happened overnight on Tuesday, Apr. 16, and Wednesday, Apr. 17. The suspects smashed the front window of Breakin Bread with a brick and stole a safe containing cash. The thieves also shattered the front window of New York Water Bagel with a paver brick. They…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Burglar Validates $9,300 In Lotto Tickets Stolen From Convenience Store In NJ: Cops Burglar Validates $9,300 In Lotto Tickets Stolen From Convenience Store In NJ: Cops
Burglar Validates $9,300 In Lotto Tickets Stolen From Convenience Store In NJ: Cops A 41-year-old man has been arrested for stealing $9,300 worth of lottery tickets and then validating them, police in Somerset County said. Joseph Holman, of Willingboro, broke the glass door of a convenience shop on Easton Avenue in Franklin Township sometime overnight Wednesday, March 13 and Thursday, March 14, and snatched the New Jersey Lottery tickets, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Holman was later identified as a suspect, and it was discovered he'd validated the stolen tickets, McDonald said alongside Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Det…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Rutgers Islamic Center Burglarized Rutgers Islamic Center Burglarized
Rutgers Islamic Center Burglarized The Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick was broken into overnight, coinciding with the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Rutgers Police Chief Kenneth Cop said the incident is being investigated as a bias crime, burglary and criminal mischief. The suspects caused damage to several items of value, he said. The center was burglarized, with evidence of a forced entry, sometime before 4:24 a.m. Wednesday, April 10, Cop said.  The break-in happened on Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Distressed Naked Man Causes $100K In Damage To Lakewood Restaurant: Police Distressed Naked Man Causes $100K In Damage To Lakewood Restaurant: Police
Distressed Naked Man Causes $100K In Damage To Lakewood Restaurant: Police A "distressed and naked" vandal is accused of breaking into a Lakewood bar and turning things upside-down. Lakewood police responded to a reported burglary at Maggie's Bar & Restaurant on Country Club Drive at around 10 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 7, police said. An employee said a man was in the restaurant destroying furniture, equipment, and inventory. Officers found a 29-year-old Lakewood man "unclothed and exhibiting signs of emotional distress." An officer approached him calmly and he was arrested. The man was charged with burglary, theft, and criminal mischief. About $100,000 in damage…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Suspects Wanted In Toms River Home Burglaries Suspects Wanted In Toms River Home Burglaries
Suspects Wanted In Toms River Home Burglaries Toms River police are looking for burglars responsible for stealing more than $100,000 in valuables, authorities said. In a news release, Toms River police said three possible burglaries happened in the Tallymawr development of North Dover early in the morning on Thursday, Apr. 4. The suspects appeared to be the same in each case. At around 3:06 a.m., four suspects wearing dark clothing and face coverings broke through a front window of a home on Reynolds Avenue. The burglars took more than $100,000 in jewelry and cameras while the homeowners were sleeping. The suspects then started t…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Trio Caught Burglarizing Lyndhurst Museum For Newspaper's 9/11 Front Page Trio Caught Burglarizing Lyndhurst Museum For Newspaper's 9/11 Front Page
Trio Caught Burglarizing Lyndhurst Museum For Newspaper's 9/11 Front Page A Lyndhurst police officer caught a trio of teens moments after they broke into a 120-year-old museum and stole the front page from a 2001 newspaper that featured coverage of 9/11, authorities said. Officer Michael Carrino found two young men and a young woman running from the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum on Riverside Avenue while responding to a burglar alarm shortly before 7:20 p.m. Sunday, March 31, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Carrino immediately identified himself as a police officer, stopping all three in their tracks, the lieutenant said. Lt. Richard Holicki and Officers Mark…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Committed 'Smash-And-Grab' Burglaries Along Jersey Shore: Police South Jersey Man Committed 'Smash-And-Grab' Burglaries Along Jersey Shore: Police
South Jersey Man Committed 'Smash-And-Grab' Burglaries Along Jersey Shore: Police An Ocean County man was accused of several "smash-and-grab" burglaries along the Jersey Shore, authorities said. Todd Lansing, 46, of Brick Township, was charged with two counts each of third-degree burglary, third-degree theft, fourth-degree criminal mischief, and possession of burglary tools. The Brielle Police Department announced his charges in a news release on Thursday, Mar. 28. Brielle police received a report of a "smash-and-grab" burglary at a business on Route 70 at around 5:27 a.m. on Saturday, Mar. 23. Police then received a burglar alarm activation at a business on Higgins…

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Knife-Wielding Teen Home Invader Forced Victim To ATM In New Jersey: Prosecutor Knife-Wielding Teen Home Invader Forced Victim To ATM In New Jersey: Prosecutor
Knife-Wielding Teen Home Invader Forced Victim To ATM In New Jersey: Prosecutor An 18-year-old Bernardsville teenager was arrested and charged with a home invasion that occurred last week, authorities said. On the early morning of Tuesday, March 5, Maicol Fernandez entered a home in Bernardsville armed with a knife, and demanded money, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Bernardsville Borough Chief of Police John Remian said. Fernandez escorted the victim to a nearby bank and demanded he withdraw money from an ATM, authorities said. At one point, a struggle ensued and the…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Arsonists Break Into Jersey Shore Home, Start Living Room Fire: Prosecutor Arsonists Break Into Jersey Shore Home, Start Living Room Fire: Prosecutor
Arsonists Break Into Jersey Shore Home, Start Living Room Fire: Prosecutor A pair of men from Ocean County have been charged with setting a home on fire in Little Egg Harbor, authorities said. Thomas Lester, 20, of Tuckerton, and Ethan Salter, 19, of Little Egg Harbor Township, broke into a National Union Boulevard home on Jan. 8 around 2:15 p.m., then started a fire in the living room, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said on Friday, March 8. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze and about two months later, Lester and Salter were each arrested at their homes and charged with aggravated arson, arson, burglary, criminal misc…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Trio Accused Of 'Distract And Grab' Thefts In Tri-State Area Shopping Centers Trio Accused Of 'Distract And Grab' Thefts In Tri-State Area Shopping Centers
Trio Accused Of 'Distract And Grab' Thefts In Tri-State Area Shopping Centers Three people were accused of taking part in a "distract and grab" ring across the tri-state area, including outside of two stores on the Jersey Shore, authorities said. The three were arrested in connection with the incidents in July and August 2023, Stafford Township police announced in a Saturday, Mar. 2 news release. The department and nearby law enforcement agencies had received several reports of "distract and grab" thefts and credit card fraud. All three were charged with theft, burglary, fraudulent use of a credit card, and conspiracy to commit theft. They were 39-year-old …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors
South Jersey Man Intentionally Started Two Fires, Including State-Owned Building: Prosecutors A Plumsted Township man was accused of intentionally starting two fires in Ocean County, authorities said. Edward Petroni, 41, was charged on Monday, Mar. 4 with two counts of aggravated arson, burglary, and two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. The charges come from two fires in Plumsted and Jackson townships on Friday, Mar. 1. First responders were called to what was described as a "shed fire" near Maple Avenue and Brown Road in Plumsted at around 1:20 p.m. The structure was actually a bus stop …

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by Chris Spiker
Police & Fire
Raritan Man Nabbed In Failed Hillsborough Break-Ins: Police Raritan Man Nabbed In Failed Hillsborough Break-Ins: Police
Raritan Man Nabbed In Failed Hillsborough Break-Ins: Police A 35-year-old Raritan man was was arrested and charged with breaking into a home in Hillsborough Township last week, police said. Hillsborough Township police responded to a home on Post Court on a report of a man attempting to open the front door, where a man named Richard Linker tried to break in around 10 p.m. Friday, March 1, local police said. After the front door gambit failed, Linker walked through the open garage doors and began pulling on the locked interior garage door, police said. After pulling on the interior garage door, Linker left the area, police said. Linker then went to …

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by Sam Barron