Crime & Safety

Police Looking for Suspect in Break-Ins, Burglary on Benjamin Drive

A string of break-ins and a burglary took place on Weds., Feb. 13.

This release was received from the Springfield Police Department.

On Wednesday 02/13/2013 at 8:15 pm, the Springfield Police Department was contacted by the resident of an apartment located on Tudor Court reporting a break-in had occurred. The resident had returned home and found that the rear window of the ground floor apartment had been pried open and the master bedroom was ransacked. The Tudor Court complex is located off Hillside Avenue near the Route 22 highway. It is unknown if anything was stolen.

While officers were at the burglary scene police hq's received at 8:35 pm from the resident of a house located on Benjamin Drive reporting that upon coming home it was discovered that the house had been broken into. It was determined that someone had forced open the rear door of the residence and had ransacked the upstairs rooms and cash and jewelry was found to have been stolen.

Police detectives responded to both locations to conduct forensic examinations and the Union County Sheriff's Office K-9 responded to assist in tracking the direction of travel used by the suspect. Police officers began following footprints in the snow that showed that both of the crimes were committed by the same lone suspect. The track by the officers and the K-9 dog found that the suspect crossed Hillside Avenue and walked behind homes onto the adjacent
streets leading to the house on Benjamin Drive.

It was subsequently discovered that another ground floor apartment on Tudor Court had been entered by a window being forced open. Although wet footprints showed the suspect had been inside this second apartment there is nothing known to have been stolen. The police K-9 dog was able to determine the burglar parked a vehicle in the rear parking lot of a diner on Route 22 West and after scaling the fence the suspect was able to enter into the apartment complex.

According to Detective Lieutenant Judd Levenson...."the burglar passed up electronic items in the residences and only took cash and jewelry which could be easily carried off. The lack of any thefts from the two apartments appears to indicate the suspect then opted to break into a house instead".

Chief John Cook asks that anyone who has information or who may have observed the suspect between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm should contact the Springfield Police at (973) 376-0400.

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