Villadom Times Weekly Local Newspaper

Area May 12, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Police capture burglary suspect by Frank J. McMahon The prompt and alert response of Mahwah and Ramsey police officers resulted in the recent arrest of a suspect in a burglary of a home on Chapel Road in the Fardale section of Mahwah. The suspect is believed to be a career burglar who was recently released from Somerset County Jail. Mahwah Police Sergeant Timothy O’Hara reported that, on May 1 at approximately 8:55 p.m., his department received a call from a resident couple reporting a possible burglary at their home. The residents had returned home at that time and discovered that someone had thrown a rock through the back door window pane, gained access to the home, and then ransacked the master bedroom. Jewelry was reported missing from the master bedroom and, as Mahwah Police Officer Thomas Solimano was responding to the residence, he observed a suspicious male walking away from the area of the home that was reportedly burglarized. Solimano recognized the person from a recent police alert regarding the release of a career burglar from Somerset County Jail whose previous burglaries matched the description of this incident. Solimano relayed the information to responding police units as he secured the crime scene along with Mahwah Lieutenant Stuart Blank, Officer Eric Larsen, Officer Robert Birney, and Officer Robert Rapp with K-9 Domey, which located jewelry the suspect had allegedly thrown to the ground in a wooded area while he was being pursued by police officers. During that time, Ramsey Police Officer Adam Macaluso was on patrol and monitoring the Mahwah Police radio when he heard the broadcast for the suspect. When he observed the person in question walking on a roadway in Ramsey with a plastic yellow bag in his hand, Macaluso stopped the man and questioned him and was given a New Jersey driver’s license, identifying this person as a man who resides in a homeless shelter in Hackensack. The man then suddenly ran away from Macaluso, dropping the bag in the street and entering the backyard of a Ramsey residence where he was subsequently apprehended with several pieces of jewelry in his pockets. The plastic yellow bag also contained numerous pieces of jewelry, and the victims in the burglary then positively identified the jewelry that was stolen from their house. The items were returned to the homeowners after processing. The arrest occurred about four hours after the burglary was reported, and O’Hara advised that, at the time of his arrest, the suspect was in possession of maps of Mahwah, Ramsey, Oakland, and Franklin Lakes. The suspect was not armed, and no police officers were injured during the apprehension, Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli advised. Mahwah Police charged the suspect with burglary, theft, and criminal mischief. He appeared before Mahwah Municipal Court Judge Anthony Gianni on May 2, when bail was set at $50,000 and he was then remanded to the Bergen (continued on page 6) � Sparky, the Mawhah Fire Department mascot, gets a hug from his new friend, Allison Meyer, at 31 Cent Scoop Night, a national event sponsored by Baskin Robbins to raise funds and awareness for the National Fallen Fireﬁghters Foundation. Those who attended enjoyed ice cream, checked out ﬁre trucks from Mahwah’s ﬁve companies, and watched the Rescue and EMS teams’ vehicle extrication demonstration. �� Serving ty oun Bergen C ears r 25 Y fo Additions • Renovations Kitchen, Bathroom & Basement Remodeling Windows • Doors • Siding • Rooﬁng Interior & Exterior Carpentry Licensed & Insured • Free Estimates Irish LLC Home Remodeling All work performed by owner Hillsdale, NJ • 201-965-5281 Now Open! 396 Franklin Ave Wyckoff, NJ 201-891-5500 Across from Aldo’s Restaurant Wyckoff Cycle LLC We Repair ALL Bicycle Brands Bikes for the Whole Family and the Pros �� Becoming fast friends ��