Red Bank man indicted for 2006-07 burglaries
Indictment stems from seven residential, 19 car burglaries
A27-year-old Red Bank man was indicted April 28 in relation to a string of residential and car burglaries that occurred in 2006 and 2007, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

A Monmouth County grand jury returned a 57-count indictment charging Mauro Vasquez-Galvan with five counts of third-degree burglary, two counts of thirddegree attempted burglary, two counts of third-degree invasion of privacy, two counts of third-degree theft, two counts of fourthdegree theft, and three counts of fourth-degree peering intowindows or other openings of a dwelling, according to the prosecutor's office press release.

These charges stem from a series of two attempted and five completed residential burglaries that occurred in May and June 2007 in the area ofMechanic Street, according to the release.

The indictment also charges Vasquez- Galvan with 19 counts of third-degree burglary, six counts of third-degree theft, eleven counts of fourth-degree theft and five counts of fourth-degree credit card theft, according to the prosecutor's office.

These charges pertain to 19 car burglaries that occurred fromOctober 2006 through June 2007 in the same general area of Red Bank, according to the prosecutor's office.

"Vasquez-Galvan carefully and specifically targeted many of his victims based upon their gender. The tenaciouswork of the Red Bank Police Department, from patrols to detectives to supervisors, resulted in the identification and apprehension of this relentless serial burglar," said Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin in the press release.

During the months of May and June 2007, numerous residential burglaries and attempted residential burglaries were reported to the Red Bank police department, according to the prosecutor's office. Each of these burglaries and attempted burglaries occurred within four blocks of Mechanic Street, according to the prosecutor's office. All of the victims were female, according to the prosecutor's office.

In at least two incidents, the victims,who lived alone, reported to police that aman attempted to enter their residence during the early morning hours by climbing through a window, according to the prosecutor's office. In at least three of the burglaries, the burglar entered the homewhile the victimswere asleep, according to the prosecutor's office.

Avariety of property, including electronic equipment, cash, jewelry and undergarments, was reported as having been stolen from the residences, according to the prosecutor's office.

In response to the reported burglaries, the Red Bank Police conducted undercover surveillance in the area, according to the prosecutor's office.

On June 15, 2007, at about 4 a.m., Vasquez-Galvan was arrested for trespassing in the yard of a Linden Place residence, according to the prosecutor's office.

An investigation revealed that Vasquez- Galvan had committed numerous residential burglaries in the vicinity of Mechanic Street, according to the prosecutor's office.

The investigation further revealed that on a number of occasions Vasquez-Galvan selected the locations he burglarized by peering into the windows of the homes and observing that the residents were female, according to the prosecutor's office.

Vasquez-Galvan's bail was set at $250,000 with the 10 percent option by Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet, accord- ing to the prosecutor's office.

Conditions of bail include Vasquez-Galvan can have no contact with any of the victims, and also that he not return to the locations where the crimes were committed, according to the prosecutor's office.

Vasquez-Galvan has been held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in lieu of bail since his arrest, according to the prosecutor's office.

During the investigation, approximately 361 pieces of property, including electronics, jewelry, clothing, and photographs, were recovered, according to the prosecutor's office.

Witnesses identified some of these items as proceeds from five residential burglaries committed in May and June 2007 in Red Bank, according to the prosecutor's office.

Witnesses also identified some of these items as proceeds from 19 car burglaries, which were committed from October 2006 through June 2007 in Red Bank, according to the prosecutor's office.

Of 19 total car burglaries, 18 of the victims are women, according to the prosecutor's office.

Some of the property stolen included memory cards and film contained within stolen cameras, according to the prosecutor's office.

Vasquez-Galvan had developed and framed some of these photographs, and had assembled some of them into photo albums, according to the prosecutor's office.

The investigation also revealed that in two of the residential burglaries, Vasquez- Galvan took photographs of the victims' intimate areas while the women were asleep, according to the prosecutor's office.

If convicted, Vasquez-Galvan faces a maximumpotential custodial sentence of up to five years on each of the third- degree burglary charges aswell as on each of the thirddegree theft and third-degree invasion of privacy charges, according to the prosecutor's office.

On the remaining charges, each ofwhich is a fourth-degree crime, if convicted, Vasquez-Galvan faces amaximumpotential custodial sentence of up to 18 months, according to the prosecutor's office.

The next court proceeding will be an arraignment, which is the formal presentation of the indictment to the defendant, according to the prosecutor's office. The arraignment will be scheduledwithin the next 45 days before Judge Chaiet.