Middletown 'Deli Burglar' Strikes in Hazlet and Little Silver, Too, Police Say

Hazlet, NJ - A Fair Haven man who has already been charged with robbing 7 different delis in Middletown has now been hit with four more deli break-ins, three at the Sam's Market in Hazlet and another at Willow Deli in Little Silver, county prosecutors say.

These four new burglaries come after David Aochoa, 39, of Third Street in Fair Haven, targeted Middletown delis, gas stations and coffee shops in a months-long crime spree this past spring. He hit the Belford Welsh Farms, Slater's Deli, Mike's Deli, Jersey Shore Roasters, Booskerdoo Coffee and Raceway Deli/gas station, police said.

His total count of Monmouth County deli break-ins is now 11, police said.

"We don't know what to say except we're happy he's been caught," said Jay Cho, the owner of Willow Deli in Little Silver. "We had security cameras, so they caught him."

Aochoa has been charged with four new counts of burglary after police say he either broke into or tried to break into Sam's Market three times. Sam's is located off Rt. 36 in Hazlet. The break-ins were on March 28, where he took cash and merchandise valued at over $3,000; April 5, where he took more than $650 in cash and goods and a third attempted break-in on June 3, where he tried, but was not able to get inside the store, prosecutors said.

Then, on March 23, he broke into Willow Deli on Willow in Little Silver, where he walked out with the cash register, which had $300 inside, police said. In all the instances, Aochoa's preferred means of entry was to throw a brick through the front glass door and front windows of the delis, police said. Read Patch's original story on the deli break-ins here.

Photo of Willow Deli in Little Silver used with permission by the owner.