New Jersey

Thief Helped Burglarize More than 60 Cars, Sold Stolen Items for Heroin: Police

Chris Brown Jr. was arrested after he was caught in the act early Tuesday morning, police said

What to Know

  • A thief who helped burglarize more than 60 cars in New Jersey sold some of the items he stole and used the money for heroin, police said
  • Chris Brown Jr., 26, of Helmetta, was arrested and charged with several counts of burglary, theft and receiving stolen property
  • Brown was arrested after he was caught in the act early Tuesday morning, police said. They don't believe he acted alone

A serial thief who helped burglarize more than 60 cars in New Jersey over the past month sold some of the items he stole and used the money to buy heroin, authorities said.

Chris Brown Jr., 26, of Helmetta, was arrested and charged with several counts of burglary, theft and receiving stolen property, the South Brunswick Township Police Department said Wednesday.

Brown was cuffed after he was caught in the act early Tuesday morning, police said. 

Police saw a "spike" in car burglaries in central New Jersey this past month, the department said. Fifteen burglaries were reported in South Brunswick alone over the weekend, according to the department.

On Tuesday, a Jamesburg police officer was patrolling around 2 a.m. when he spotted a man trying to break into a car in Monroe Township, the department said.

The man, who turned out to be Brown, fled into the woods nearby, but was later found hiding in a car in a parking lot not far from the vehicle he’d tried to burglarize, police said.

After Brown's arrest, police searched a motel in South Brunswick and found items they believe were stolen from unlocked cars in Old Bridge, East Brunswick, Jamesburg, Monroe and South Brunswick, the department said.

Brown traveled from neighborhood to neighborhood checking cars to see if their doors were unlocked before stealing valuables from inside, police said.

The thief sold many of the stolen items so he could buy heroin, according to the department. 

Police don’t believe Brown acted alone, but haven’t yet arrested any of his accomplices.

“It was the teamwork from several police departments that captured this suspect,” South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said. “The suspect may have believed that by going over different township lines he would be able to get away with his crimes, but he was wrong.”

Brown’s attorney information wasn’t immediately available Wednesday.

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