Police Arrest the ‘Well-Dressed Burglar’

The man police call the “well-dressed burglar” was arrested on Monday and charged with breaking into a Livingston bank while wearing stylist clothes and watchman's cap.

Mustafa Muhammad, 51, of Newark, is being held in Morris County Jail after Livingston and East Hanover police charged him with breaking into the Livingston bank and three gas stations.

Livingston Detective Christopher Reinhadt has been since the last weekend of April when the suspect allegedly broke a window at Hudson City Savings in the shopping center on Eisenhower Parkway and attempted to pry open an ATM machine in the bank’s lobby. He was captured on camera wearing nice shoes and pants, suit jacket and cap, and carrying a crowbar.

The suspect wasn’t able to make the after-hours withdrawal and left the bank empty handed. However, Livingston police now link Muhammad to a second break-in that weekend on the Route 10 traffic circle. He was charged with breaking into a rear window in the Delta gas station to grab $150 cash from a drawer and jump starter box from the station house, according to Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold.

Additional charges are expected in seven other towns where the suspect supposedly broke into other banks and gas stations.

Police identified Muhammad through physical evidence at the scenes and the surveillance photos, Dippold said.

"We're calling him the well-dressed burglar," Dippold said when police released the surveillance photos last month. "He's kind of on a roll."

The suspect was rarely successful in taking money from ATM machines once he broke windows to enter the banks, Dippold said. He had better luck at a rash of break-ins at gas stations where he allegedly was able to grab money from the cash draw.

On Monday, East Hanover police arrested him at his home and charged him with three burglaries at gas stations in that town. Livingston police charged Muhammad with two counts of burglary, two counts of criminal mischief, and one count theft. Livingston Municipal Court set bail at $75,000.

Additional charges are expected to be filed by police in Maplewood, Little Ferry, Union, Elizabeth, Newark, Fairfield and Hillside. Muhammad is being held in Morris County Jail.