Hazlet Resident Reports Another Burglary, On Franciscan Way

Hazlet Police Det. Lt. Charles McBride said residents should continue to be alert for any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.

A recent rash of residential burglaries in neighborhoods off Middle Road is still under investigation. In each of the four cases on Colgate Court, Roland Place, Virginia Avenue and Lafayette Drive, a suspect entered the houses through a rear window and stole jewelry and cash. Recently a Keansburg man was apprehended by police on Virginia Avenue in possesion of a crowbar, screwdriver and gloves. He was taken to county jail on an unrelated warrant, but has since been released and the case was transferred to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, said McBride.

On the afternoon of June 23, a homeowner on Franciscan Way called police to report she had just discovered her jewelry box was empty. The homeowner is not sure when the items could have been taken because she only checks the jewelry box every few weeks. The value of the missing jewelry is estimated to be $7,000.

The homeowner showed police that one of the window screens next to an air conditioning unit had been pried open and slightly damaged, but not completely removed. "They went through the window and put the screen back," said Det. Lt. McBride.

In another case on Tall Oaks Drive on June 20, a homeowner sitting in the backyard re-entered the house around 8 p.m. to discover the front door wide open. Nobody else was home. It appeared the house had been "gone through" but nothing has been reported missing, McBride said.