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TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced the arrests today of six Atlantic
County residents who allegedly were members
of a commercial burglary ring that broke
into nearly 100 small businesses across
New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania,
including numerous Dunkin Donuts shops.
Arrest warrants have been issued for two
additional individuals.
The
ring allegedly was responsible for stealing
more than $150,000 in at least 97 burglaries
to which it has been linked to date –
91 in New Jersey and six in Pennsylvania.
The arrests resulted from a nine-month investigation
dubbed Operation Coffee Break conducted
by a task force headed by the New Jersey
Division of Criminal Justice and the Edison
Police Department. The task force included
nearly 50 New Jersey police departments,
the Pennsylvania State Police and 14 other
Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies.
The
criminal ring, which repeatedly targeted
Dunkin Donuts and small restaurants and
stores in strip malls, has committed burglaries
in nearly every county in New Jersey. In
December 2006, the ring began burglarizing
businesses in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The
group used rental vehicles to travel to
burglary sites. They would enter the businesses
after hours by breaking door locks, frequently
prying or twisting the locking mechanism
out of the door. Surveillance videos at
some of the businesses show a burglar or
burglars dressed in dark clothes –
hooded sweatshirt, mask, gloves and sneakers
– carrying a dark backpack or tool
bag. The burglars are seen moving swiftly
to the cash registers and prying them open
with a crowbar. Safes were stolen from some
businesses along with additional items of
monetary value.
“This
burglary ring struck with alarming frequency,
reaching into nearly every county of New
Jersey and across state lines into Pennsylvania,”
said Attorney General Rabner. “I’m
pleased to say that for every jurisdictional
line these burglars crossed, law enforcement
forged another partnership, joining together
more than 60 agencies to shut down this
crime spree.”
“This
is a textbook case of law enforcement agencies
sharing information and working collaboratively
to put a stop to a wide-ranging criminal
enterprise,” said Director Paw. “I’m
proud of the leadership role played in this
investigation by the Division of Criminal
Justice together with the Edison Police
Department.”
The
alleged leaders of the ring, Arthur J. Reynolds,
44, of Atlantic City, and Joseph Thomas
Jr., 41, of Egg Harbor Township, were arrested
on charges of second-degree racketeering
conspiracy, second-degree racketeering,
third-degree burglary, second-degree theft
by unlawful taking and second-degree money
laundering. Also arrested on those charges
were:
- Tanika
N. Joyce,
29, of Pleasantville;
-
Rasheeda T. Crouch,
28, of Atlantic City; and
- Juanita
L. Morgan, 27, of Atlantic City.
In
addition, Tashana D. Joyce, 24, of Atlantic
City, was arrested on charges of third-degree
money laundering, third-degree conspiracy
to commit burglary, second-degree conspiracy
to commit theft by unlawful taking and second-degree
racketeering conspiracy.
Attorney
General Rabner credited State Investigator
Brian Woolston of the Division of Criminal
Justice for leading the investigation with
assistance from State Investigator James
Nelson. Deputy Attorney General Christine
D’Elia is handling the case for the
Attorney General. The Attorney General thanked
each of the law enforcement agencies on
the attached list for participating in the
investigation as members of the task force.
The
arrest warrants were issued by Superior
Court Judge Albert J. Garofolo in Atlantic
County, where the case has been assigned.
Atlantic County, in addition to being home
to those arrested, was the site of a number
of the burglaries and is where the burglars
rented several of the vehicles used.
The
charges are merely accusations and the defendants
are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The investigation will be presented to a
state grand jury for review and potential
indictment. The arrested defendants are
being held in the Atlantic County Jail in
lieu of bail. Reynolds and Thomas were each
held in lieu of $250,000 cash bail, and
the remaining defendants were each held
in lieu of $150,000 cash bail.
New Jersey Police Departments
The
New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice
and Edison Police Department, heading this
investigation, along with the following
townships: Clinton Police Department, Colts
Neck Police Department, Green Brook Police
Department, Hanover Police Department, Scotch
Plains Police Department, Sparta Police
Department, Ocean Township Police Department,
Whippany Police Department, Marlboro Township
Police Department, Glassboro Police Department,
Pennsauken Police Department, Mount Laurel
Police Department, Moorestown Police Department,
Medford Police Department, Evesham Police
Department, Lawrence Township Police Department,
Brick Township Police Department, Berkley
Township Police Department, Somers Point
Police Department, Point Pleasant Police
Department, Denville Police Department,
Hanover Township Police Department, Mount
Olive Police Department, Readington Police
Department, Old Bridge Police Department,
Bridgewater Police Department, Washington
Township Police Department, Montville Police
Department, Parsippany-Troy Hills Police
Department, Greenwich Township Police Department,
South Brunswick Police Department, Howell
Police Department, Bordentown Township Police
Department, Galloway Police Department,
Jamesburg Boro Police Department, Freehold
Township Police Department, Little Falls
Police Department, Cedar Grove Police Department,
Clifton Police Department, Woodbridge Township
Police Department, Eatontown Police Department,
Tinton Falls Police Department, Nutley Police
Department, and Rochelle Park Police Department
in the State of New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Police Departments
Pennsylvania
State Police, Montgomery County District
Attorney's Office, Bethlehem Police Department,
Easton Police Department, Colonial Regional
Police Department, Bristol Township Police
Department, Bensalem Township Police Department,
Lower Makefield Township Police Department,
Tredyffrin Township Police Department, West
Chester Boro Police Department, West Goshen
Township Police Department, Falls Township
Police Department, Horsham Police Department,
Collegeville Police Department, and Cheltenham
Township Police Department
>> List
of Businesses Targeted (48k
pdf) plug-in
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