Men Caught Burglarizing Warren Home: Prosecutor

WARREN, NJ — Two men were arrested after they were caught in the act while burglarizing a Warren home. The men are also believed to be connected to a Watchung home burglary, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson reported.

A Blackthorn Road resident called 9-1-1 on Feb. 21 at around 10:10 a.m. reporting a suspicious person at the front door of their Warren home, Robertson said.

The resident was able to monitor the person on his smartphone through his home security cameras while at work.

Officers from Warren Township, Watchung Borough and Bernards Township went to the home and found that someone broke in through the front door.

Police set up a perimeter and discovered that two men were inside the home and could possibly be armed with the home owner’s gun, Robertson said.

Both men were arrested by police with the help of Warren Township Police K9 “Onyx." One of the men was caught while trying to escape through a garage window and the other was found hiding inside underneath the basement steps, Robertson said.

The men were identified as Ras Loyd, 25, of Broad Street and Thomas Waller, 28, of Grummant Avenue, both of Newark.

A pillowcase containing the homeowner's firearm along with other items from the home were found.

A search of the Newark men's 2003 Infiniti G35, that was parked in the driveway of the home, also found items that were taken from a Watchung home on Parlin Lane earlier in the day at 9:30 a.m.

Loyd and Waller were both charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree possession of a weapon by certain persons not to have a weapon, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and criminal mischief a disorderly person offense.

After processing at the Warren Township Police Headquarters, both were lodged in the Somerset County Jail awaiting a detention hearing.

(Image via Somerset County Prosecutor's Office: Ras Loyd, 25, of Broad Street and Thomas Waller, 28, of Grummant Avenue, both of Newark.)

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