With Help From Neighboring Businesses, East Haven Cops Charge Local Man With Main St. Restaurant Burglary: PD

EAST HAVEN, CT — East Haven police arrested and charged a 38-year-old local man in connection with a Main Street burglary, according to East Haven police spokesperson Capt. Joseph M. Murgo.

Murgo said the arrest followed a burglary investigation involving a "restaurant in which surveillance footage and evidence collected by officers led to the identification of the suspect."

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It was around 12:30 in the afternoon Saturday when cops were called to Ade Restaurant, 212 Main St., for the report of a burglary. The owners told officers that "an unknown individual had entered the business overnight and stolen a cash register containing cash," Murgo said.

The police captain noted that during the on-scene investigation, investigating officers found what "appeared to be burglary tools, including a broken screwdriver and vice grip pliers, left behind inside the business."

Police canvassed neighboring businesses looking for surveillance footage and found video that showed "captured a male suspect moving through the shared rear hallway and parking lot area behind the businesses."

And additional surveillance footage showed the suspect carrying what appeared to be the stolen cash register and attempting to gain entry into several other nearby businesses by checking door handles, Murgo said.

Through the course of the investigation, officers identified the suspect as John Gaul, 52, of East Haven. Officers also recovered clothing believed to have been worn during the burglary in a nearby dumpster, Murgo said.

Officers later responded to Gaul’s residence, where he was taken into custody without incident. He was charged with third-degree burglary, three counts of criminal attempt of third-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, and sixth-degree larceny. He was held on a $10,000 surety bond and is due in court Tuesday.

"The East Haven Police Department would like to thank the neighboring business owners who assisted officers by quickly providing surveillance footage, which played a critical role in the investigation and arrest," Murgo added.