Nutley Police Arrest Accused Burglars With Aid From Residents

NUTLEY, NJ — Arrests have been made in connection with a pair of early morning burglaries that took place in Nutley with aid from a local neighborhood watch member, police announced Monday evening.

Police Director Alphonse Petracco and Chief Thomas Strumolo released the following statement about the arrests:

“Chief Strumolo said burglars driving a four-door grey Hyundai attempted to enter a window into a Conover Avenue residence at approximately 5:15 a.m. [on Monday]. It appears the actors were scared off by a barking dog. Moments later the same actors attempted entry into a Plymouth Road residence when an alarm sounded. With the assistance of residents and a Neighborhood Watch member, police were quickly able to identify the vehicle and apprehended two of three suspects in Newark (two juveniles, one adult). The adult actor fled on foot, but was later identified. All three were charged with attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools.”

Petracco said that entry into occupied homes has slowed, but it is still popular among car thieves who are trying to steal high-valued vehicles.

“Both homes had newer model vehicles in the driveway, [which] we suspect was the reason why they attempted entry,” police stated. “Over this past week we had two other stolen vehicles: one on Rhoda and one on Crestwood.”

Police are investigating to see if these suspects are responsible for those thefts, authorities said Monday.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.