Police say burglaries target Hispanic homes
Burglary victim says owner-occupied homes are most vulnerable
BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer

RED BANK - The homes of Hispanic residents on the borough's west side have been the recent targets of a string of daytime burglaries, the fifth of which occurred Dec. 10, according to the Red Bank Police Department.

Red Bank police responded to a Catherine Street residence for a report of a burglary in progress at 2 p.m., according to a press release from the department.

The owners of the property returned home while the police were still at the scene and reported that an amount of jewelry was taken from the residence, according to police.

"My block has basically turned into a tenement housing situation and I really feel that being the victim of a crime on Monday, you don't need to be a rocket scientist

to single out one of four owner- occupied homes on Catherine Street," Connie

Aparicio, whose home was the target of the latest burglary, said at the Dec. 12 Westside Community Group meeting.

She said her Catherine Street home is one of four owner-occupied residences on her street, the rest of which are landlord owned and operated.

"As the neighborhood continues to change … it certainly looks like anybody who is a homeowner or takes pride in their home, just the fact that you cut your grass … and your house is painted, it singles you out and puts you in a more vulnerable position to be attacked."

The incident is the fifth daytime burglary of a residence occupied by Hispanic families since Sept. 14, according to police.

According to police, the most recent incident involved a black male suspect seen on the sidewalk in front of the victim's residence talking on the cell phone before the burglary.

The suspect was later seen knocking on the front door of the victim's house, and then going to a rear apartment door and trying the door handle, according to a press release from the police department.

Witnesses then heard the sound of glass breaking and one went to the rear door of the residence, according to police.

After noticing the glass on the rear door was broken and the door was forced open, one witness, a relative of the homeowners, banged on the door, according to police.

Upon hearing the pounding on the door, the suspect, who the witness identified as the same suspicious male she had seen outside the residence earlier, jumped from the second-floor window onto a landing and then to the ground, according to police.

The suspect was last seen climbing a fence at the rear of the yard heading toward Leonard Street, according to police.

A Long Branch police canine unit assisted the Red Bank police patrol and detectives with a search of the area; however, the suspect was not located, according to police.

All five of the burglaries involved forced entry into the residences and in each case jewelry and cash were taken, according to police. All of the incidents occurred on Leighton Avenue and Catherine Street, between Drs. James Parker Boulevard, Tilton Avenue and Shrewsbury Avenue.

Based on the facts of the most recent incident, police are asking that residents who live in the affected area and who have had a suspicious unknown male come to their door for no specific reason during the day, contact the Red Bank police, according to police.

The suspect in the Dec. 10 burglary is described as a black male in his mid 20s, 5 feet 10 inches in height with a heavy build and a dark complexion and was last seen wearing a three-quarter-length black jacket and black knit hat, according to police.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Red Bank Police Detective Division at (732) 530-2719. Those with further information who wish to remain anonymous, can contact the Red Bank Police Tips Line at (732) 450-9704.