Madison Man Arrested, Accused of Burglarizing 3 Homes in Town

A man from Community Place in Madison has been arrested and charged in connection with three separate burglaries in town that occurred over the past 10 days, Lt. Joe Cirella said.

Police responded to a home for a report of a burglary at 12:25 p.m. Wednesday on Community Place to learn that a family friend stopped by the residence to pay a visit, and believed there was a burglary in progress, Cirella said.

A preliminary investigation revealed a burglary had occurred at the home when police found a rear window screen removed and the house had been ransacked, Cirella said.

A laptop computer and prescription pills, including Oxycodone and Xanax, were allegedly stolen from the home.

A witness in the area of the home told police a suspicious man was seen crouching behind a fence of the residence at the time of the burglary, Cirella said.

Police were able to locate and find the suspect, identified as Julio Arriaza, 34, as the person seen behind the fence, Cirella said.

An investigation revealed Arriaza was responsible for the burglary on Community Place, and was also responsible for two other burglaries reported on Oct. 13 and Oct. 15, Cirella said. Both of those occurred on Community Place as well.

During the investigation, several items related to the reported burglaries were found, including burglar tools and several articles of clothing, Cirella said.

Arriaza was charged with three counts of burglary, three counts of theft, possession of burglar tools, and criminal mischief for the alleged crimes.

Bail was set at $25,000 with no 10-percent option, and Arriaza was lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility.