Middletown Homeowner Says His Home Was Nearly Broken Into

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A Middletown homeowner shared this account of how his car was broken into Friday night, and he thinks burglars tried to break into his house as well:

The father of two young children said he heard "strange sounds" at his home on Pine Street in Lincroft at 1 a.m. Saturday.

"I was watching TV in bed with my 7-month-old daughter next to me and my 3-year-old asleep in the next room," said the 38-year-old homeowner. "It was about 1 a.m. Over the course of 10 minutes, I heard rattling and slight knocking sounds. I always hear noises outside; there are a lot of animals around here. But this was different."

He said he got up, looked around the house and noticed the screen on his kitchen window had been pushed up.

He thinks the rattling was someone trying to open the back door, and the knocking sounds were trespassers circling his home and trying to pry open windows.

"I always lock my windows and doors," he said.

He did not call police at the time, but awoke the next morning to find the inside of his (very old) Jeep Cherokee had been completely tossed and rummaged through, with everything thrown out of its compartments. It had been left unlocked. A newer car in the driveway had been locked and was not damaged.

That's when the homeowner called Middletown Police, who responded and he said told him they have increased patrols in the Lincroft area.

The man said he wants his story shared "so people know about the crime that's going on. I want people to be aware. Lock your friggin doors, keep your eyes open. Call PD if you see ANYTHING out of the ordinary."

That same Friday night, Aug. 12 there was an attempted car break-in on Falcons Ridge Circle in Holmdel, followed by car break-ins on Hayfield Court and Rambling Brook Drive in Holmdel the night before, Thursday, said police. Holmdel Police chased those cars in both incidents, but both times the suspects got away, driving in excess of more than 100 miles per hour.