Man 'Burglarized' Self to Pay Debt, Cops Say

A Hopatcong man told police his home was burglarized and goods, along with cash, was stolen while he was gone, but was caught in a web of lies, finally admitting the entire incident was staged, police said.

On May 2, Hopatcong police responded to a home on Mast Road for a reported burglary, Lt. Thomas Kmetz said. When speaking with the resident who made the call, Christopher Kelly, 33, they were told the home was burglarized during an hour-long period in which the residence was vacant, Kmetz said.

Kelly said he and another family member went to the mall around 6:30 p.m. and came home an hour later, Kmetz said. When they got home, Kelly said his room was “ransacked,” Kmetz said.

Police found a screen door had been cut and an umbrella used to prevent the sliding door from opening was bent from the force of the door being opened, Kmetz said.

The Sussex County K-9 Unit was called to the scene but could not pick up a track, and fingerprints could not be lifted by detectives, Kmetz said.

Kelly told police an iPod Touch, $2,600 of his girlfriend’s money, a Timex watch, and several Wii games were stolen, Kmetz said.

Police found no evidence of suspicious activity in the area, Kmetz said, as detectives spoke with neighbors who saw no one in the area at the time of the alleged burglary on a surveillance camera from a nearby store.

Kelly’s girlfriend, who was not named by police, recorded a cell phone conversation in the days following where her boyfriend admitted he staged the entire incident, Kmetz said. Kelly’s reason for stealing the cash was to pay someone back, Kmetz said.

Kelly then turned himself in and was brought to Sussex County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

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