Toms River Man Charged In North Jersey Hobby Shop Burglary

WAYNE, NJ — A Toms River man has been charged with burglary after remote-controlled cars stolen from a North Jersey hobby shop were found in his home, authorities said Friday.

Derrick Meeks, 48, of Toms River, was arrested Thursday at his home and charged in the Jan. 22 burglary at Zeppelin Hobbies on Route 23, Wayne police said.

Employees of the hobby shop called police about 10 a.m. after finding the front glass door smashed. Several remote-controlled cars, with a total value of more than $5,000, were taken in the overnight burglary, police said. Video surveillance showed a suspect taking the remote-controlled cars from the store.

A few weeks later, a customer notified the owner of Zeppelin Hobbies that one of his stolen remote-controlled cars was for sale at a hobby shop in Toms River. Wayne detectives then checked the Toms River area for vehicles that matched the suspect's car, which was seen on the surveillance video.

The information led to Meeks, and his photo was compared to images from the Zeppelin Hobbies video; police said his photo appeared to be consistent with the images captured on surveillance video at Zeppelin Hobbies.

On Thursday, members of the Wayne Police Detective Bureau and Special Operations Unit, along with the Toms River Police Department, executed a search warrant at Meeks' home and arrested him. A search of his home yielded "numerous RC cars, suspected cocaine, and other evidence related to the burglary," police said.

Meeks was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance by Toms River police, and Wayne police charged him with burglary and other offenses.

He is being held at the Passaic County Jail.

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