Jerome B. Howard of Lawrenceville also is a suspect in an earlier break-in at a jewelry store in Chatham, Madison police said. His age was not released.
At 3:43 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, Madison Police responded to an activated burglar alarm at Gerlach’s Jewelers on Main Street, police said.
The officers, who were on patrol, responded within two minutes to the scene and found a rear door to the business forced open and a rear screen window pulled off the building.
Upon approaching the rear door, officers observed the interior of the store that appeared ransacked as well as a male inside, who ran towards the front door in an attempt to smash through the glass and flee, police said.
During the arrest, a Madison officer sustained a foot injury and has since been released from Morristown Medical Center. Assisting agencies on the scene were police departments from Chatham Township Police, Florham Park, and Morris County Sheriff’s Office.
Criminal charges for Burglary, Theft, Resisting Arrest, Criminal Mischief, and Aggravated Assault were expected, police said.
Howard is also being investigated for allegedly burglarizing a jewelry store in Chatham earlier Thursday, police said.
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