Man Tried To Break Into Bloomfield Store, Foiled By Alarm: Cops

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield police say that a man tried to crowbar his way into Ricciardi Paint on Bloomfield Avenue during an unsuccessful burglary attempt that took place two days before Thanksgiving.

According to the Bloomfield Police Department, officers responded to Ricciardi Paint around 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 21 after receiving a report about a tripped commercial burglary alarm. On arrival, the officers found the rear door of the building “slightly opened” and apparently pried open with the door’s deadbolt lock lying on the ground.

The officers didn’t find anyone in the building. But using a camera surveillance system on the premises, they managed to find footage of a suspicious vehicle – possibly a “newer model” Nissan Altima or Maxima – driving slowly past the store on Bloomfield Avenue around 12:20 a.m.

The vehicle then returned and made another pass of the store a few minutes later, eventually making a left-hand turn into its driveway. The car continued into the rear parking lot, then backed into a space near the apartment buildings at 279 Bloomfield Avenue, police said.

At that time, a man got out of the passenger side door and made his way to the store. He then used what appears to be a crowbar to pry the door open. However, a security alarm then began to sound which appears to have startled the would-be burglar, who got back into the car and fled the scene.

Bloomfield police said that the suspect was wearing a jumpsuit with reflective material on the bottom of his pants, a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap.

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File Photo: Eric Kiefer