Manalapan Police Blotter

A burglar pried open the lock on a sliding glass door at a Manalapan home, then cut the phone line, ransacked the bedrooms and stole jewelry, police said.

That case is among the investigations recently handled by Manalapan police.

According to a news release from Deputy Chief Michael Fountain:

July 12

At 4:22 p.m. Patrolman Matt Porricelli responded to Chestnut Way for a report of an attempted burglary. The victim, a 48-year-old Manalapan woman reported that between the hours of 12:45 a.m. and 2 a.m. on July 11 her garage door and door leading into her residence were damaged. No entry was made to the residence and no items were missing. Porricelli handled the report.

July 11

At 6:17 p.m., Officer Jared Coupland responded to the Towne Pointe Shopping Center parking lot in reference to a theft from a motor vehicle. A 40-year-old Aberdeen reported that someone forced entry into her vehicle, punched out the driver’s side door lock, opened the door, and removed a GPS (valued at $100) and a black leather wallet. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Manalapan Township Police Department. Coupland handled the investigation.

At 5:32 p.m., Officer Joseph DeFilippis responded to a residence on Wintergreen Drive for a burglary to a residence. A 73-year-old Manalapan man reported that someone forced entry into the residence by prying a screen and rear window open. Jewelry was removed from the residence. This incident occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.. DeFilippis and Detective Alaimo handled the investigation.

July 10

Around 9:55 a.m., Officer Matthew Meyler initiated a motor vehicle stop on Route 9 near Smallwood Lane. The driver of the vehicle, Elaine Zarr, 62, of Freehold was found to have an active traffic warrant out of Freehold for $1,000. Upon further investigation Zarr was found to be in possession of two hypodermic needles. Zarr was arrested, transported to Manalapan Township Police Headquarters where she was processed. Zarr was released upon posting cash bail on the warrant and was issued a criminal summons for possession of hypodermic needles, with a mandatory court appearance.

At 2:36 a.m. Patrolman Philip Accatatta responded to a Deer Way residence in regards to two suspicious male subjects who left the area in a yellow Jeep. The New Jersey registration was provided to Monmouth County Police Radio and the Jeep was later located on Union Hill Road. After observing a motor vehicle violation, Patrolman Philip Accatatta conducted a motor vehicle stop. The operator, identified as 33-year-old Manalapan resident Joeri Kloet was found to be driving while intoxicated. Kloet was arrested, processed, and later released from police custody, pending a court date to appear. Patrolman Joseph Defilippis assisted with the investigation.

July 9

Around 7:50 p.m., a 19-year-old Manalapan man reported damage to his vehicle while it was parked in the Symmes Road Commuter Parking Lot. The victim initially reported his vehicle being struck by another vehicle. But an inspection of the damage to the side view mirror revealed it had not been struck by a vehicle. Instead, the damage was intentional. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Manalapan Township Police Department. Officer Matthew Meyler handled the investigation.

At 6:57 p.m. Patrolman Mark Casagrande responded to police headquarters regarding a theft report. The victim a 20-year-old Manalapan woman she posted an ad to sell her laptop for $650 on Craigslist. After agreeing to a transaction with a buyer, the victim was informed to overnight ship the package and then buyer would pay her via PayPal. The victim shipped the laptop but never received payment. Casagrande handled the investigation.

At 5:36 p.m. Patrolman Mark Casagrande responded to Drew Court for a report of an attempted burglary. He met with the victim, a 29-year-old Manalapan woman. The victim reported between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:12 p.m. that day her front door had been damaged during a possible attempted burglary. No entry had been made to the residence and no items were missing. Casagrande handled the report.

At 5:08 p.m. Patrolman Anthony Cascella responded to police headquarters regarding an identity theft report. He met with a 35-year-old township man who alleges the following: He attempted to file his 2014 IRS tax return when he was advised that a check was already sent out in his and his wife’s name to an address in Kentucky. Information received by the victim from the NJ State Identity Division said that the return was e-filed from an unknown IP address in Colorado. Cascella handled the report.

July 8

Between 12:45 p.m. and 3 p.m., someone forced entry into the rear of a residence located on Woodward Road, near Sweetman’s Lane, by prying the lock to the slider door. The phone line inside the home was also cut and each of the upstairs bedrooms appeared to have been ransacked. There were multiple pieces of women’s jewelry, documents, two laptop computers, prescription medications, and a Nook reader reported stolen. Officer Ross Dessel, Officer Kevin Ruditsky, Detective Charles Alaimo, Detective Ken Mikulik, and the Monmouth County Sheriffs Department K-9 unit assisted in the investigation. Anyone with information about this incident should contact the Manalapan Township Police Department at 732-446-4300 or Detective Mikulik at 732-446-8385.

July 7

At 6:51 p.m. a 59-year-old Manalapan man responded to police headquarters to make a report of a fraudulent PayPal account created in his name. According to the victim, an unknown actor created a PayPal Credit account in his name and purchased a plane ticket in the amount of $1,144 on June 26. Any persons with similar fraudulent activity, or with any information about this case is asked to call police. Officer Jared Coupland is handling the initial investigation.

A 71-year-old Manalapan woman responded to headquarters to report a theft from her residence in Manalapan. On June 23, the victims had a cleaning service conduct a cleaning of their residence. After the cleaning, the victim noticed jewelry, valued at $4,500, was missing from the residence. The investigation is ongoing. Officer Bart Mattaliano handled the initial report.

A 49-year-old Verizon employee reported a burglary and theft. He alleged someone entered a locked, gated area underneath a cellular tower in the area of Symmes Drive in Manalapan and removed eight 12-volt batteries from a storage cabinet. There were no visible signs of forced entry to the restricted area or the cabinet which housed the batteries. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Manalapan Township Police Department. Officer Matthew Meyler was the investigating officer.

At 3:37 p.m., there was a kitchen fire on Westbrook Way Manalapan. The homeowner, a 57-year-old woman, along with another resident, were home when the incident took place. They called 911 and then attempted to put out the fire. Volunteer firemen from Gordon’s Corner Fire Department quickly responded and extinguished the fire. Gordon’s Corner Fire Department along with Englishtown Fire Department arrived on scene and ventilated the smoke-filled residence. Manalapan Englishtown First Aid arrived on scene and treated one patient, who was released on scene. Officer Kimberly Whitehill and Detective Charles Aliamo, both from Manalapan Police Department, along with Manalapan Fire Marshal Mike Lennox are investigating.