SOUTH BRUNSWICK, 29 May, 2004
Police suspect the owner of that car, along with two other men, are
responsible for a series of burglaries at the homes of residents of
various ethnic backgrounds, but they also believe the three planned
to break into more homes, targeting Asian Indians because they are fond
of 22-carat gold jewelry from India.
Two of the three men were arrested on Monday and charged in connection
with one burglary after police got a break in the case when a township
resident described a metallic orange car he had seen in a neighborhood
where a break-in occurred on Friday, police said.
Now police are searching for the third man, and trying to determine
if the men are responsible for 15 other similar burglaries in South
Brunswick, Princeton Township and Princeton Borough since May 10. They
are also hoping that some burglary victims will be able to identify
some of the recovered items, which include jewelry and a camera.
Brian Laurenzo, 30, who gave police a Southampton address, but who
authorities believe spends much of his time in Jersey City, is facing
charges of burglary, theft and possession of stolen property, while
Johnny Pierantoni, 27, of Jersey City, is charged with conspiracy to
commit burglary. Police said they are looking for the third man, Eugene
Napolitano, 39, of South Brunswick. Complaints for burglary, theft and
possession of stolen property have been signed against him.
The charges were filed against the men in connection with a Rebecca
Court break-in on Monday.
Police Chief Michael Paquette said the men were in the orange car when
they were stopped on Monday in the area of the Royal Oaks apartment
complex by police officers conducting surveillance.
Police initially charged Laurenzo with a disorderly-persons offense
because he allegedly gave them a fictitious insurance card. Officers
took both Laurenzo and Pierantoni to headquarters, but Napolitano was
allowed to leave the scene at the time.
After the two men were questioned further at headquarters, police got
a search warrant for the 1989 Honda Civic. Inside they found jewelry,
as well as an index card with a list of 42 South Brunswick addresses,
said detective Jim Ryan. Police said they believe the men looked for
Asian Indian names in phone books, then planned to target those homes
for burglaries.
Now police are taking a second look at previous reports of burglar
alarms sounding at two or three of those homes on the list. Officers
are trying to determine if those reported false alarms were really attempted
burglaries.
Ryan said the 16 burglaries occurred between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and
in most cases there were pry marks on a rear window or door of the homes.
He said the early burglaries in South Brunswick occurred mostly along
the Route 27 corridor but lately seemed to shift to the Royal Oaks apartment
complex off Route 1.
Police said they believe many of the items stolen in the earlier burglaries
have already been sold to pawn shops and likely will not be recovered.
Officers got their break on Friday when detective James Stoddard was
canvassing a Royal Oaks neighborhood after a burglary there. A resident
told the detective he heard a noise that sounded like a banging door
and saw a metallic orange car in the area, but he did not realize that
a burglary occurred around the same time until police knocked on his
door, authorities said.
Another resident recognized the description of the unusually colored
car and told police the driver sometimes came to visit Napolitano, who
lived in the same complex, police said.
Detectives began to piece together their case and conduct surveillance.
On Monday, the resident who first noticed the orange car called police,
saying he saw it again, grabbed his digital camera and snapped a picture,
police said.
Police stopped the car at 1:25 p.m. Police said they believe the men
left a township house about 10 minutes earlier, after hiding in the
bedroom for some time because the resident unknowingly interrupted their
burglary when she came home around lunchtime.
Paquette said police are working with the Middlesex County Prosecutor's
Office to determine if bias charges should be lodged against the men.