Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Indictment for Burglaries in Bernards, Elsewhere

The following information regarding an indictment was supplied by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. It does not indicate a conviction.

A 44-year-old Hopatcong man is accused of prying open windows and stealing money and jewelry from homes in several counties, including Somerset, between July to September 2011. The investigation included a burglary on Mountain Road in Bernards Township reported last Aug. 30, authorities said.

Edward Michael Carhardt Jr. was indicted on 35 counts of burglary, theft and criminal mischief Thursday, according to a statement by Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano. Carhardt, who lived at the Lakefront Lodge in Hopatcong, is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail in Somerset County Jail, Soriano said.

Members of the Bernards Township Detective Bureau participated in the task force investigation because Carhardt was a suspect for the Mountain Road burglary, Bernards police said. No further details could be provided by township police at this time.

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Later on Friday afternoon, Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Murphy said Carhardt was indicted on one charge of burglary at 333 Mountain Road in Basking Ridge on August 30, 2011. There is no accompanying theft charge because Carhardt allegedly fled the home prior to stealing anything,

Carhardt was indicted separately on a charge of attempted burglary at 249 Mountain Road in the township on the same date, Murphy said in an email.

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Carhardt was arrested on the New Jersey Turnpike with money, jewelry and credit cards belonging to a Medford Township resident on Sept. 30, Soriano said. Authorities tailed Carhardt's 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix to the Brace Road home and confirmed it had been burglarized after Carhardt had left the area, the prosecutor said.

After the arrest, a large amount of jewelry belonging to burglary victims was found after authorities searched Carhardt's apartment and two vehicles, Soriano said.

State Police found consistencies in residential burglaries committed in Sussex and Warren counties, Soriano said. The State Police found the homes hit were usually single-family homes on large lots that were secluded from the road and neighboring properties, Soriano said.

Pry marks were found at many burglarized homes, Soriano said. Carhardt typically targeted master bedrooms, searching for money and jewelry but leaving other valuable items, he said.

Carhardt's 1998 Acura CL was reportedly seen fleeing a home burglary in Middle Smithfield Township, Pa., in July, Soriano said. On Sept. 5, county and municipal detectives joined to create a task force to investigate the growing number of similar-style burglaries in Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, Morris and Sussex counties.

A surveillance operation from Carhardt's Hopatcong home to Medford Township spanned several hours and more than 100 miles and ended in Carhardt's arrest, police said.

Patch will continue to update this story as further information becomes available.


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