Crime & Safety

Cops: Birch Drive Burglary May Be Part of Spree

Police say break-in being considered as part of a rash in three-county area.

said a Birch Drive resident away for the weekend came home on Sunday afternoon to discover his home had been forcibly entered and burglarized.

The resident reported the burglary Sunday at about 4:25 p.m., township police said.

Recent rash of burglaries in three counties

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The report is being investigated along with other agencies agencies in the Somerset, Hunterdon and Morris counties to determine if a recent rash of burglaries in the Central Jersey region are related, Bernards Police Lt. Ted Reese said.

Anotherwas reported in early March in a township residence that also had been vacant. In another,to the reported break-in on Birch Drive, jewelry also was reported as stolen from a home where the owner was absent for several days.

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"The fact that some of the residents have been away at the time of the burglary, as well as the proximity of the residences to interstate highways are two of the fact patterns we are exploring," Reese said.

The Birch Drive resident reportedly told police he returned home to find the front door frame damaged. He also found an open interior basement door and an open rear door upon his arrival, police said. The home's front door still was closed, despite the damage to the door frame, and the resident said he was was sure that the basement door and rear door had both been closed before he left the day before, the police report said.

After finding the open doors, the resident then discovered that the upstairs master bedroom had been ransacked, police said.

Police said on Tuesday it appears various pieces of jewelry were missing from the master bedroom. A complete list of the items taken and the value of the those items were not immediately available, the police report said.

The investigation so far indicates that the burglary was most likely committed between 9 a.m. on Saturday and 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, according to township police.


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