Police: Elizabeth Man Recruited Teens to Help Him Burglarize Homes
Michelle Sahn, Asbury Park Press, January 21, 2010
Police arrested a Union County man who they say operated a burglary ring, using juveniles to help him steal from homes in Monmouth and Somerset counties.
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They recently got a break in the case when forensic evidence recovered at the scene of one of the burglaries linked a 15-year-old boy from Elizabeth to the crime, said Middletown Detective Lt. Joseph C. Capriotti.
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Police said they are working to determine the 29-year-old man’s real name, but they believe he uses aliases, including Joeys Sebastian Cruz, Jorge Luna, Joeys Sebastian Cruz Morales, Manuel Gomez, and Jorge Armondo Vadladares Luna.
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Police said they are still working to identify the owners of other items that are believed to be stolen property. Those items, also found at the house, include jewelry and electronic equipment, police said.
The 15-year-old boy from Elizabeth was charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary.
The 29-year-old man was charged with burglary, theft, conspiracy to commit burglary and theft and hindering apprehension. Police said he gave them false names when they arrested him.
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Police said they also expect to take additional juveniles into custody.
The Elizabeth man {snip} is a native of Honduras and believed to be in the United States illegally. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has issued a no-bail immigration detainer for him, pending the outcome of their investigation.
