Burglary Suspect Arrested For Belleville Break-Ins: Police

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Police in Belleville have a suspect in three residential burglaries that have happened in July, according to a news release.

On July 8, two juveniles were home when someone came into their Stephens Street home around 10:22 a.m. The children hid in a bedroom while a suspect took about $7,000 worth of jewelry. Police were able to link him to a 2020 burglary in Belleville with surveillance footage, the news release said.

The second burglary was July 22 around 1:45 p.m. on Division Avenue, where a suspect forced a door open and took $600 in cash, assorted jewelry, and two pairs of sunglasses, police said.

And on July 25, a suspect pried open the front door of a Rossmore Place home and took $300 in cash as well as passports, Social Security cards, and other paperwork.

Police were patrolling the area when they saw the suspect, 45-year-old Jose Lopez, walking on Washington Avenue in Belleville, near Essex Street.

Lopez, of Newark, faces three charges of burglary and three charges of theft, police said.

He faces additional charges of burglary and theft for incidents in Linden and Newark, according to police.