Arrested Manchester Fugitive Led Ocean Co. Burglary Ring: Police

MANCHESTER, NJ — The arrest of a Manchester Township man who had been on the run for nearly two days culminated an investigation that led to the dismantling of a commercial burglary ring, Manchester police said Friday.

Craig Orler, 43, of Jolson Court, was arrested Friday morning, after police received a tip from the public on his whereabouts, Manchester Capt. Todd Malland said. He and James Bendyna, 49, and Roy Bowman, 52, both of Philadelphia, are accused of numerous commercial burglaries in Ocean County.

The trio was identified during a three-month investigation by Manchester, Toms River, and Berkeley Township detectives into the burglaries, Malland said. Bendyna was arrested without incident on Wednesday in Philadelphia; Bowman remains at large and is believed to be in the Philadelphia area, Malland said.

The commercial burglaries occurred over the span of three months and resulted in the theft of vehicles, trailers, outdoor power equipment, cartons of cigarettes, CBD products, and cash with a combined estimated value of about $100,000, he said.

After an exhaustive effort by the lead investigators, Manchester Detective Adam Guker and Toms River Detective Mark Bajada, Orler, Bendyna and Bowman were identified as suspects. Detectives then began watching Orler over several weeks, which led to the identification of three addresses, two storage units and two vehicles used to store the stolen equipment/merchandise between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

During the surveillance, detectives also saw Orler purchase numerous all-terrain vehicles worth tens of thousands of dollars, which authorities allege were purchased with proceeds derived from the burglaries.

On Wednesday investigators executed seven search warrants between New Jersey and Pennsylvania and recovered a large quantity of the stolen proceeds, along with evidence suggesting an even larger involvement by Orler in the burglaries, Malland said.

In addition, numerous assets, including the four all-terrain vehicles, were seized pending forfeiture, he said.

As they executed the search warrants, police tried to pull Orler over but he drove off onto the Heritage Minerals property off Northampton Boulevard, on the border of Manchester and Toms River.

Authorities found his 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck partially submerged in a small body of water on the Heritage Minerals property; Orler then ran into the woods, Malland said.

Orler, who has an extensive criminal history, faces multiple charges for money laundering, being the leader of an organized retail theft enterprise, burglary, theft, criminal mischief, eluding police, resisting arrest, and possession of a control dangerous substance, Malland said.

Bendyna and Bowman both face multiple charges for burglary, theft, and criminal mischief.

Orler has multiple convictions in Florida and New Jersey for auto theft, burglary and aggravated assault dating back to the late 1990s, according to court records. He has served time in jail at least twice, including following a 2006 conviction for making terroristic threats in Monmouth County.

"The Manchester, Toms River, and Berkeley Township police departments would like to thank the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit, the New Jersey State Police Aviation Bureau, the United States Marshals Service, the Robbinsville Township Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Maryland State Police, for their collective and cooperative assistance in this investigation," Malland said.

"Additionally, we would like to thank the many individuals who provided tips to the involved agencies as to Orler’s whereabouts. With the arrest of these suspects, business owners throughout Ocean County can rest a little easier knowing this criminal enterprise is out of commission," he said.

Anyone with information about any commercial burglary which occurred in Manchester Township within the last few months is encouraged to contact Detective Adam Guker at 732-657-2009, ext. 4210. As a reminder, anonymous tips can be submitted online at www.manchesterpolicenj.com. Tips may also be submitted through private Facebook message.

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