Cedar Grove Resident Thwarts Attempted Burglary: Police

CEDAR GROVE, NJ — When a Cedar Grove resident saw a man in a pickup truck pretending to talk on a cell phone last week, it set off warning bells. It turned out that their instinct may have been right on the money, local police say.

According to the Cedar Grove Police Department, an “alert resident” was walking in the area of Bennett Avenue around 12:52 p.m. on Jan. 31 when they saw a newer model, black Nissan Titan pickup truck parked in a “remote” location on the block.

When the resident saw a man sitting in the truck pretending to talk on a cell phone, they began to get suspicious, police said. And that’s when they called the cops.

“It was later determined that the occupant in the truck was the getaway driver and lookout for three suspects attempting a diversionary burglary on a Devonshire Road South residence,” authorities said.

Here’s what happened when the driver got wind that he was being watched, according to police:

“When the suspect in the truck realized that the resident was watching him, he alerted the suspects in the residence attempting the burglary. The suspects fled the residence, entered the truck and fled the area.”

Police said that nothing appears to have been stolen from the home. Authorities are investigating the incident.

Cedar Grove police commended the bystander for helping to foil a possible crime.

“The resident’s alert attention to suspicious activity and quick action to contact the police prevented a burglary,” police said.

• See related article: 'Suspicious' Essex County Pizza Deliveries Were A Prank, Cops Say

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