Judge Releases Monmouth University Baseball Player After Home Burglary

A New Jersey homeowner was able to detain a burglar later identified as a 19-year-old Monmouth University varsity baseball player in an overnight break-in, police said.

Cecilia Levine

09/19/2020 12:13 p.m.

Surveillance tapes show Marlboro's Anthony Brienza entering the Old Farm Road home in Ocean Township through an unlocked door, then disabling the home security system around 4:50 a.m., Sept. 13, Detective Sgt. Paul Flammia said.

Brienza was confronted by the homeowner while taking several items from the master bedroom, Flammia said.

A brief struggle ensued when Brienza tried fleeing, police said.

Brienza was arrested on theft, burglary, drug and robbery charges, and later ordered released from the Monmouth County Jail by Superior Court Judge Paul X. Escandon.

Brienza is required to report to a probation officer, refrain from alcohol or drugs and undergo a substance evaluation, NJ.com reports.

“If you so much as spit on the sidewalk or violate any of these conditions, you’re going right back to jail,” Escandon told the athlete.

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