Police Investigating Car & Residential Break-Ins, Copper Theft

The Toms River Police Department is investigating a series of recent thefts from both automobiles and residences in the area.

Officer Michael Gallipoli is investigating a theft of copper pipes that took place recently on Bay Stream Drive.

A neighbor noticed water coming from a nearby residence, and after calling the owner, contacted a plumber. The plumber who responded to fix the leak then discovered that the copper pipes were removed from the home's crawlspace. The plumber estimated that the stolen 50-foot section of pipe is valued at $1,500.

Toms River Officer Steven Austin is currently investigating a dozen recent thefts from unlocked vehicles in town, including the theft of an HP laptop, a Magnavox-brand VCR/DVD player and about $20 in change from an unlocked vehicle on Cayuga Court last Tuesday night.

Other items were also removed from unlocked cars on Shoshone Court, including an Apple iPod, and on Leawood Avenue, a Garmin GPS was removed from a vehicle. 

Additionally, four unlocked vehicles were also broken into last Tuesday night, in the Money Island section of the community. Removed from one of those unlocked vehicles were a Nikon-brand camera worth approximately $400, and a pair of Orvis-brand driving gloves.

Toms River Police are also investigating the burglary of a residence on Tanager Drive that occurred at 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Officer Frank Lauria, heading the investigation into the burglary, reported that the suspect is described as a white male in his late 20s, with a medium build and short brown hair.

The suspect entered a rear sliding door of the home and removed various items of jewelry from the residence, including a ladies white gold bracelet and earrings valued at over $1,000. The suspect was seen driving from the home in a grey Ford Mustang convertible, with a black top and tinted windows.

Anyone with information on these thefts should contact Detective Mark Bajada of the Toms River Police Department at 732-349-0150, ext. 1241.