Man Charged With Rumson Burglary on Brookside Drive

Rumson, NJ - A man we’ve reported on for allegedly targeting wealthy Monmouth County homes to rob was arrested anew Thursday by Rumson police for possessing items stolen from a home on Brookside Drive, police announced Monday.

Tommy Earls, 55, of Neptune, was arrested Thursday, Jan. 28 after a search warrant of his storage locker turned up property stolen from the home, Rumson police told Patch.

Jewelry and electronic items from a burglary that occurred in February, 2013 on Brookside Drive were found in Earls’ locker on Dec. 15, police said. He was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property. The reason for the delay in between the Dec. 15 discovery and the Jan. 28 arrest was because Rumson police had to contact the burglary victim, Detective Sergeant Christopher Isherwood said, and have them come in and identify the stolen items.

“The victims had to look through photos of the proceeds,” he said.

Not his first arrest

Earls was previously arrested Dec. 5 in Little Silver after a home break-in there. After that arrest, a search of a storage locker he kept in Neptune connected him to as many as 20 active burglaries dating back to 2012, in towns such as Holmdel, Middletown, Eatontown, Manalapan and Rumson, police said.

At the time, Shrewsbury police Detective Sgt. James Ramsey told the Asbury Park Press that Earls kept dog treats in his pockets to keep pets quiet while he sifted through homes.

“If a dog was barking and no one was telling the dog to be quiet, he knew no one was home. He kept dog treats in his pocket and would burglarize the home,” Ramsey said.

In that storage locker, police say they found more than $1 million worth of stolen goods, including a 40-year-old bottle of Belvenie single malt Scotch valued at $5,000, a 24-karat gold lighter autographed by Bob Hope, Rolex watches, vintage coin collections, Tiffany jewelry, computers, iPads, iPods and cell phones, police said.

After the Thursday arrest, Earls was held on bail in Rumson town jail, set at $25,000 with no 10% option by Judge James Berube, Jr.