Burglars in New Jersey Town Broke in While Residents Were Sleeping Inside: Police

Three homes were burglarized in the overnight hours in Chatham

Police in a New Jersey town are investigating a string of burglaries that occurred in the overnight hours over the weekend, two of them while residents were sleeping inside the homes, authorities say.

Neighbors in Chatham in Morris County say their small town is normally so safe that they've left their front doors unlocked. But the rash of break-ins from Friday, Sept. 5 into Sunday, Sept. 6 now has them thinking differently. 

"It scares me," said resident Donna Huelsenbeck. "People think you don't have to lock your door here, but you do." 

The burglarized homes were on Center Avenue in the area of Harvard Street, on Washington Avenue in the area of Front Street and on Weston Avenue in the area of Elmwood Avenue. 

In some of the cases, people waited hours before making a report. Police say it's essential that burglary victims do not waste time calling 911. 

"This way we can find the scene untouched and we can bring in the proper processing units to process that scene before it's touched by other parties," said Chatham Police Lt. Brian Gibbons. 

Police are trying to determine if the burglaries are connected. No description of the suspect or suspects has been issued. 

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