Daytime Burglaries Hit Shrewsbury

A recent rash of daytime burglaries in the Two River area has warning residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity or vehicles in their neighborhoods.

In recent months, car and home daytime burglaries have been reported in Shrewsbury, Little Silver, Oceanport and Fair Haven among other towns. Now, the Shrewsbury Police are asking for help. The department sent out an emergency text informing residents that daytime patrols have been stepped up and that the local police have joined with other jurisdictions to combat what has become a growing problem.

In March, a Highlands woman was arrested and charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft after authorities allege she burgled cars in Shrewsbury, Little Silver, and Rumson. Recently, however, police say unoccupied homes have become the daytime target.

To help prevent burglaries, police have released the following tips:

1. People are your best defense -- be a visibly nosy neighbor. Let anyone walking the neighborhood or sitting in a parked car see you watching them.
Make a note of car license plates and if anyone behaves suspiciously or stays in their car for a lengthy period, call the police.

2. Tell close neighbors you trust if you plan to be away or expect any deliveries.

In many cases, burglars will knock at the front door of a residence to see if anyone is there. If your neighbor is aware of deliveries, they will be more suspicious when someone who they weren’t informed of shows up.

3. And, if you are going away, use timers to switch lights on and off at random, cancel newspapers and put a hold on your mail deliveries -- or, to guard your schedule, arrange for the trusted neighbor to collect them.

Houses are targeted that look vacant. Making your house look occupied will deter burglars.

4. Keep a detailed inventory of your valuable possessions, including a description of the items, date of purchase and original value, and serial numbers, and keep a copy in a safe place away from home -- this is a good precaution in case of fires or other disasters. Make a photographic or video record of valuable objects, heirlooms and antiques.

5. Burglars usually remove jewelry that is easy to locate. Valuable jewelry, that is not worn every day, should be locked or stored away.

If you see something suspicious in Shrewsbury, call police at (732)741-2500.