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Man Used Crowbar, Hammer To Burglarize Businesses Across 5 Somerset County Towns: Cops

A Milltown man has been charged in connection with a string of burglaries that occurred across Somerset County in December 2024, authorities announced.

Gabriel Bay.     

Gabriel Bay.     

Photo Credit: Somerset County Prosecutor's Office

Gabriel Bay, 56, was arrested on Dec. 17, 2024, following a joint investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Burglary Unit and police departments from Bedminster, Warren, Branchburg, Bernards, and Green Brook. The burglaries spanned five townships, targeting convenience stores, restaurants, and other businesses between Dec. 3 and 16, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said.

Surveillance footage captured Bay using tools such as a crowbar and hammer to force entry into establishments. Stolen items included cash, a gaming console, and tools, with damages reported across multiple locations.

Timeline of Incidents

  • Dec. 3, 2024, 2:05 a.m.: Bay allegedly broke into a convenience store on U.S. Highway 206 in Bedminster, stealing $267 from cash registers.
  • Dec. 3, 2024, 2:45 a.m.: Three commercial properties on Washington Valley Road in Warren were burglarized, with losses totaling $1,600.
  • Dec. 14, 2024, 1:19 a.m.: Bay reportedly shattered the front door of a business on U.S. Highway 202 in Branchburg and fled with $415.
  • Dec. 16, 2024, 4:29 a.m.: Bay allegedly targeted three storefronts on Martinsville Road in Basking Ridge, stealing cash and tools.
  • Dec. 16, 2024, 5:05 a.m.: Surveillance video showed Bay using a hammer to break into two businesses on Washington Avenue in Green Brook, causing significant property damage.

Bay faces numerous charges across multiple jurisdictions, including third-degree burglary, theft, criminal mischief, and possession of burglary tools. He was processed at the Somerset County Jail and later transferred to the Morris County Jail, where additional complaints were served.

McDonald credited the success of the investigation to the collaboration between local police departments and the Middlesex County SWAT team, Edison Police, and Woodbridge Police.

Anyone with information regarding these burglaries is urged to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Burglary Unit at (908) 231-7100 or use the anonymous STOPit app with the access code SOMERSETNJ.

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