Resident Confronts Burglar, Strikes Suspect with 2x3

Police are searching for a man who tried to break into an Old Freehold Road home's back door Wednesday afternoon. The man was confronted by a resident who hit him with a piece of wood before the suspect fled through backyards.

Toms River police received a call about a burglary in progress at 1 p.m. at Old Freehold Road near Silverton Road. Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said the resident, a 49 year-old man, was at home when he heard a noise toward the back of the home.

Mastronardy said the homeowner saw a man trying to break in, and confronted the suspect.

"At a rear sliding glass door he observed a white male, about 30, trying to enter his home," said Mastronardy in an email. "He confronted the suspect about breaking into his house and the suspect replied 'What are you goanna do about it'”. 

Mastronardy said the confrontation continued from there. The suspect started to walk away but was in a verbal altercation with the homeowner, who then grabbed a four-foot piece of wood, a 2x3. The homeowner struck the suspect's hip with the piece of wood, and the man fled.

The police chief said that after the suspect was hit the man ran back toward Old Freehold Road.

"A short time later a witness observed the suspect running through backyards on Woodview Drive," Mastronardy said.

The suspect is described as a white man about 30 years old, wearing a black cap, orange t-shirt, sneakers and blue gym shorts with white piping.

Police continue to search for the suspect. Anyone with information can call police headquarters at 732-349-0150.