Police confirm recent house, car burglaries
BY AMY ROSEN Staff Writer

MANALAPAN — The Manalapan Police Department has confirmed that there have been a series of burglaries to homes and vehicles in the township over the past few weeks.

The incidents are being investigated by the Manalapan Detective Bureau. Anyone with information about any of the incidents is asked to call the police department at 732-446-4300.

Manalapan police Capt. Louis Moreto issued a statement in response to an e-mail that has been circulating in recent days warning residents to be aware of a “rash of robberies in the Marlboro and Manalapan areas.”

In a press release sent to the News Transcript on Nov. 24, Moreto said, “From Nov. 8 through today there have been three house burglaries (two on Madigan Lane and one on Blenheim Road). There have also been a number of car burglaries which have been targeting GPS systems (five off of Union Hill Road and three in Covered Bridge).”

Blenheim Road is in the Holiday Park development and is directly off of Union Hill Road. Madigan Lane is also in Holiday Park, directly off Blenheim Road.

Covered Bridge is an adult community directly off Union Hill Road.

Moreto went on to say that a number of the vehicles were unlocked at the time they were entered and the vehicles that were not locked had a window smashed and through which the GPS units were taken.

The Manalapan Police Department is asking residents to help themselves by removing any GPS units from sight so that they are not victimized, and second, by reporting any suspicious persons or activities they happen to notice.

In a previous edition of the News Transcript it was reported that a group of Marlboro residents started a neighborhood watch program in response to a number of burglaries of homes in the section of Whittier Oaks off Union Hill Road.

Other home burglaries were reported to have occurred in the Paddock Club development off Route 79, Marlboro.

Moreto said officers from the Manalapan and Marlboro police departments have been in contact with each other.

When asked if police suspect that the burglaries were done by the same person(s) in both towns, Moreto said, “There are definitely some similarities. I suspect some are related, but we can’t characterize them all.”

While Moreto said he could not comment on all of the details that were mentioned in the e-mail due to the fact that it is an investigative matter, he confirmed that the burglaries occurred in the early evening and the items stolen included flat screen televisions, jewelry, laptop computers and pocketbooks. He said none of the Manalapan homes were entered while people were sleeping, as the e-mail stated.

Moreto said the e-mail offered sound advice to residents by encouraging them to leave lights on around homes, to be aware of their surroundings and to pay attention to cars that look out of place.

He added, “Don’t advertise that you have a GPS unit [in your car] and don’t leave it out. Get it out of there and always lock your car doors.”

Residents are advised to call police immediately if a problem is suspected.