Three Edison Homes Broken Into, Suspect Arrested

EDISON, NJ - Edison Township police say they arrested a local man who broke into a home in the Township on Wednesday and is a suspect in two other attempted break-ins at area homes.

Detectives Michael Kohut and Steve Todd arrested Joseph C. Kot, 61, on Wednesday evening, charging him with two counts of burglary, one count of possession of burglary tools, and one count of criminal mischief for breaking into a Simpson Avenue home.

Responding to a burglary alarm from the Simpson Avenue home on Wednesday evening, Patrolmen Loren Long and Charles Zundel saw signs of forced entry and found the house had been ransacked. Patrol officers and detectives searched the surrounding neighborhood and found Kot hiding inside an adjacent home. They also retrieved $2,000 worth of cash and jewelry allegedly stolen in the burglary, and returned those items to the homeowners.

Kot is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick as he awaits a bail hearing. Police think he is a suspect in two more attempted burglaries at Edison Township homes.

“Burglary is a crime that makes people feel violated in the one place where they should always feel safe – their own homes,” Police Chief Thomas Bryan said. “It’s a good day when I can tell Edison residents their police officers swiftly arrested a suspect allegedly responsible for violating the sanctity of people’s homes.”