South Brunswick: Woman Calls 911 After Seeing Man On Back Deck

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A South Brunswick woman called 911 after she noticed a man standing on her back deck in the dark this past Thursday night, and he was arrested by South Brunswick police a few houses away.

At approximately 7:22 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, South Brunswick police were dispatched to a report of a man on the back deck of a home on Crestview Drive in the Timber Ponds development.

The caller stated she was cooking in her kitchen when she observed a man on her back deck. She opened the door and asked the man why he was on her deck. The individual gave an excuse that made no sense to the resident. The resident locked her back door, set her alarm, and called police.

Within minutes several South Brunswick police officers arrived in the neighborhood and began to get a description of the man from the caller. At around the same time Officer Craig Cleffi and Sergeant Michael Kuchma observed a man exit a backyard on Crestview Drive between two houses further down the block from the initial call. The man, who matched the caller’s description, was detained by the officers.

The man was identified as Carlos Betancourt-Carmon, 22, of New Brunswick. A follow-up investigation by Officer Cleffi and Detective Brady Shelcusky determined Betancourt-Carmon had taken a bus from New Brunswick into South Brunswick. He had been walking around the neighborhood when he went into the backyards on Crestview Drive. He was on the rear deck attempting to break into the home when he was confronted by the caller, police said.

He was charged with burglary and criminal mischief. He was lodged at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center awaiting his first court appearance.

“This case exemplifies the best of our partnership with the community. The phone call and fast response made all the difference. The suspect was located a half a block away from the incident in less than 5 minutes from the call," South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said.

Photo provided by South Brunswick police