2 Homes Burglarized In South Amboy, Car And Laptop Stolen

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ — On Monday, South Amboy Police Chief Darren LaVigne posted this public letter, notifying the community that two homes were broken into in the past few weeks, and a car was stolen from one of the homes.

Also, in an unrelated incident Tuesday, police in Edison and Piscataway had to shut down streets as they searched for a home break-in suspect armed with a handgun. Police were warning the community via Facebook to stay indoors. The suspect was located by police and taken into custody. Read more on that: Man Enters Edison Home As Delivery Man Tuesday Night, Waves Fake Gun At Resident

In South Amboy, the car was stolen after the suspects grabbed the keys from inside the home. In another instance, a laptop was taken.

In both incidents, the homeowners were home at the time of the burglaries, said the police chief, which he said is "particularly concerning to me."

He did not disclose where exactly in South Amboy these crimes took place, or the specific dates. Both break-ins took place in the early-morning hours, and in one of the break-ins the suspects drove into South Amboy in a stolen car to break into homes.

But the police chief said the suspects entered the homes in two ways:

They went into unlocked cars and grabbed the garage door opener, which they then used to get inside the homes.

They are also opening unlocked windows and crawling inside homes.

"A consistent pattern seems to be emerging. Suspects are exploiting unlocked motor vehicles, which can give them access to garage door openers, as well as unsecured windows that they simply slide open," said LaVigne. "I must emphasize that at no time were weapons brandished or violence utilized to steal property. No one was injured and the suspects quickly fled."

"In the latest incident a vehicle was stolen from a neighboring community and was utilized by the suspects to commit a crime in South Amboy," he said. "Our investigations seem to indicate that these suspects come from urbanized communities north of us. These are extremely brazen individuals who appear to have no regard for consequences. Our close proximity to Rt. 9 and 35 as well as egress to the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike exasperate the problem."

He said South Amboy Police have increased patrols, "literally doubling the amount of officers assigned to your neighborhood. My pledge to you is that this activity will not be tolerated in South Amboy."

The police chief said he needs the following cooperation from South Amboy residents to deter crime:

• Please do not leave doors and windows unsecured. This applies to both your private home and your cars.
• Please refrain from leaving valuables in your vehicle such as electronics, money or sensitive documents.
• Please strongly consider leaving exterior lights on during the evening hours.
• Look into buying RING and NEST cameras, which have become more affordable and are readily available at many home improvement stores.
• Please conduct an immediate security check of your home and car, urged the police chief.
• Please personally check every door and window, he implored the community.

"Elevated crime rates throughout the state have punctuated the news and law enforcement bulletins for some time," he wrote. "South Amboy however, seemed to enjoy a lower crime rate than many communities in our state. However, a few recent events are causing me and my agency's officers great concern. Criminal elements from outside our community are migrating into South Amboy usually in the early morning hours to steal property."

"It is my duty and obligation to report to you on issues which can potentially impact you and your families," said the police chief.