Middletown Residents Scared, On Edge After 3 Home Invasions: Lawmaker

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — One local lawmaker said Middletown is on edge after a group of suspects broke into three homes this past weekend — and were confronted by homeowners in two of the break-ins — and made off with a car.

Gerry Scharfenberger (R-NJ13), who lives in Middletown and is now a state assemblyman representing the area in Trenton after spending time as Middletown Committeeman and mayor, noted that people are "absolutely scared."

"It's everywhere I go: The bagel shop, the supermarket, in North Middletown, in Lincroft. People are coming up to me and saying, 'Did you hear about the latest crime?' Everyone is really concerned," said Scharfenberger Tuesday. "Citizens' watch groups have been forming. We have people posting photos of suspicious cars in neighborhoods, cars with out-of-state license plates."

According to Middletown Police, the suspects first crawled into a garage window in Bamm Hollow Estates at 3:55 a.m. Sunday, and unsuccessfully tried to steal two parked cars. They then entered a second home on Four Winds Drive, where they were confronted by the homeowners and ran off. They then entered a third home, this time on Dwight Road, again creeping in through a garage window, where they were again confronted by the homeowners. The suspects ran out of the house and drove off in a 2022 Land Rover parked in the driveway (the luxury car has since been recovered).

"Someone is going to get hurt," Scharfenberger said. "They (criminals) are getting more brazen now. They are actually entering people's homes. Someone is going to get hurt or killed if this keeps up."

Car theft has surged in New Jersey this year, up 41 percent compared to 2020, according to the most recent data released Dec. 5 by State Police.

Wealthy, suburban Monmouth County has always experienced car thefts, but this year it has skyrocketed: Monmouth County logged 63 car thefts in the first quarter of 2021, and 129 car thefts in the first quarter of 2022, a 104 percent increase.

Scharfenberger said he thinks criminals have become "emboldened" by what he called "disastrous bail reform."

"(Criminals) know what they can get away with now," he said. "It's a disastrous policy."

Some Lawmakers Working To Bring Back Cash Bail

Bail reform was championed in 2014 by Gov. Chris Christie and lawmakers from both parties; it became law in 2017. NJ bail reform effectively did away with cash bail except for those accused of the most serious of crimes, like murder or rape. In the years since, many people accused of burglary/theft are let out of jail without posting bail, usually within 24 hours of being arrested, or sometimes that very same day.

Some in law enforcement have been complaining about this for years.

“There are some who have re-offended five or six times,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden told Politico on Dec. 11. "The pendulum has swung the other way. We don’t have any engagement, reeducation of these individuals. They just continue to re-offend and be released."

In response to this year's crime surge, legislators from both parties now appear to be competing to pass bills that will bring back some form of cash bail:

In early May, Scharfenberger and a group of fellow Republican lawmakers introduced these bills that would reinstate mandatory cash bail for those caught stealing a car.

Their bill failed to advance in Democrat-controlled Trenton.

Just last week, state Sen. Vin Gopal, a Democrat who represents Eatontown and southern Monmouth County, unveiled a bill package that would keep someone charged with carjacking, car theft or burglary in jail until trial — without even giving them the option of cash bail.

However, Gopal's bill would only apply if someone already has a prior conviction or pending charge for car theft or burglary. And his bill would only be in effect for one year.

Gopal's bill just unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday, and will go to a full Senate vote next week. However, his bill then has to pass the state Assembly, which Gopal said "is a much harder route. And gotta get the governor to sign."

“Our bills have bi-partisan support with Senators (Declan) O'Scanlon and Bob Singer (both Republicans) as sponsors," said Gopal Tuesday. "We need to put pressure now on the Assembly and the Governor to support these important bills."

Gov. Phil Murphy has not publicly expressed support for bringing back cash bail. The governor lives in Middletown and someone tried to steal his neighbor's Land Rover in September. When a reporter asked him then if changes should be made to NJ's bail system, Murphy did not reply in support.

"I don't think this is bail reform, and people will take shots at me for that. I don't think that's the fulcrum here," said Murphy at the time. "My personal opinion is it's treating juveniles different, as if they were adults."

When asked by Patch Tuesday, a spokeswoman said the governor "does not comment on pending legislation."

Scharfenberger was not a state lawmaker when bail reform became law. He worked in Christie's administration, counts Christie as a friend and said "hasn't spoke directly to Christie" about the former governor's thoughts on bringing back cash bail.

"Murphy has been eerily quiet on this, and his own next-door neighbor's car was stolen," said Scharfenberger Tuesday. "Bail reform was intended to deal with a very low-level, non-violent criminal. We don't want a kid arrested with a dime bag (of drugs) to sit in jail for a month. But now it's gotten out of hand where it's affecting hardened criminals who are a true threat to public safety. These (crimes) are going to keep progressing until something really bad happens."