Franklin Teen Charged With Armed Home Invasion In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A Franklin teen was charged with breaking into a Hillsborough home with a gun in the middle of the night on Thursday while the homeowner was inside, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announced.

At around 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 16, a Mersher Court homeowner called 911 to report hearing the doorbell ring and the motion light detection outside activate. No one was reportedly seen outside, but then the homeowner heard noises inside the home.

When Hillsborough Police responded they saw two men in the fenced-in area near the backyard who then ran away when they spotted authorities, Robertson said.

Police along with K-9 from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit searched the area and could not find the two men.

An investigation by Hillsborough Detectives found a broken basement window with blood on it and a handgun inside, which was alleged to accidentally have been fired into the home, according to the report.

A car, that did not belong to any nearby neighbors, was also found parked near the home, police report.

While police were processing the scene, Jhamir Hoagland, 18, of Taylor Drive, Franklin Township was seen walking to the suspicious parked car with an injury to his left wrist and his clothes and shoes were wet and covered in mud, police report.

Hoagland was arrested and charged. The investigation is ongoing in identifying the second man that was present with Hoagland during the home invasion.

Hoagland was charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree burglary, third-degree hindering apprehension, disorderly persons offense criminal mischief, and petty disorderly person’s offense defiant trespass.

Hoagland was subsequently lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, or the Hillsborough Township Police Department at 908-369-4323 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or at www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE”. All anonymous Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

(Image via Somerset County Prosecutor's Office: Jhamir Hoagland, 18, of Taylor Drive, Franklin Township)

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