Burglar Escapes as Resident Chases

A Red Hill Road resident nearly caught a burglar in the middle of a vehicle break-in at his residence at 4:35 a.m. Monday morning

The suspect fled—taking a wallet from the vehicle—as the resident approached the vehicle. The resident told police he was awakened this morning by noises outside and when he went to investigate, he saw a young male, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt inside his vehicle.

The young man ran away when confronted, and the resident reported chasing him before police arrived. 

Watchung and Long Hill police assisted in the subsequent search of the area.

A series of vehicle break-ins through the area had , but the string of thefts slowed in recent weeks following .

But Warren Police Lt. William Keane said residents should still be sure to lock vehicles at night.

"Residents need to be wary," he said. "This was an unlocked car and people should be sure to lock their vehicles."

He said detectives will be reviewing the recent investigations for possible connections to this monrning's incident, but do not have any specific information from this morning to help identify the thief.