Home Invasion Attempts Highlighted During Chatham Police Crime Summit

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham Police Department is once again drawing attention to the community's ongoing theft problem.

On Friday, two attempted home invasions were reported in Madison and one in Chatham Borough, one day after Chatham Borough and Chatham Township Police attended an "Auto Theft and Violent Crime Summit" at the East Hanover Police Headquarters.

A coalition of police departments from around Morris County, as well as the Morris County Sheriff's Department, and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, are now actively working together to address the growing concern of stolen vehicles and potential violent crimes.

According to Chatham Borough Police Chief Brian Gibbons, an attempted home invasion occurred in two homes in Madison Borough and one in Chatham Borough in the early hours of Friday, Sept. 2.

In Madison, the suspects attempted to gain entry into one of the homes by stealing an electronic garage door opener from an unlocked vehicle in the driveway; however, the garage door opener was inoperable.

The suspects then proceeded to a nearby home in Madison and successfully opened an unlocked window.

Fortunately, the house had an alarm system that, when activated, scared the suspects away, police said.

"The suspects then traveled to the Meadowbrook area of Chatham Borough, which is in close proximity to the victimized Madison homes, and again were able to successfully open an unlocked window. Once again, the home was alarmed and the suspects fled the scene when the alarm sounded," Gibbons said.

According to a joint report issued by Chatham Borough Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz and Chief Gibbons, Chatham residents have been locking their vehicles, but this has not deterred criminals, who are now breaking into homes to look for keys.

"As we anticipated from the very beginning, criminals have become increasingly frustrated with our success in the locking of our cars, and are currently resorting to more serious tactics to accomplish their goals," the report said.

Federal authorities, including the FBI, have joined the effort to combat what has been described as one of the most well-organized and determined car theft rings in recent memory, according to Gibbons.

According to police, criminals are breaking into homes using remote garage door openers obtained from unlocked cars, unlocked residence windows/doors, or simply forcing open residence windows and doors.

Once inside, they search for and steal key fobs and other valuables before driving away with residents' cars.

Gibbons offered some optimism, noting that the news is not all bad. Chatham Borough accounted for approximately 23 percent of all stolen vehicles in Morris County in early 2022, owing in part to its proximity to Route 24.

However, thanks to increased police and community collaboration, particularly residents' increased diligence in locking their car doors and removing all valuables from inside, that number has been reduced to around 8 percent.

"Rest assured that Chatham Borough will use all available resources, including those from our Federal, State, County, and local police partners, to address this disturbing new crime trend, and to protect our residents and visitors from these utter miscreants," Gibbons said.