Two men who allegedly broke into 20 Hoboken apartments and stole thousands of dollars of electronic equipment and jewelry by disabling the deadbolts on doors were arrested on Wednesday, June 21, and Thursday, June 22, police officials said this week. Police were able to track down the men whom they say are responsible for the rash of burglaries – which took place in the space of about one month – once they realized that the same method was being used to gain entry into the buildings over and over again. “We noticed that the actor did not have a pattern [in terms of times of day or locations where burglaries took place] but he or she did have an M.O.,” explained Acting Captain Det. Anthony Falco from behind his desk Tuesday, as he leafed through a file a quarter inch thick on the case. “The actor would pry out the dead bolt and slide the pin. The actor would then proceed to take various items, the majority of which was jewelry and lap top computers.” Armed with that information, the police canvassed the area, and using “street sources,” they were able to finger two suspects that did not live in Hoboken, officials said. Their names and photos were distributed, and within two days, they were arrested. Edwin “King” Mousey De Jesus was arrested on June 21 and eventually charged with four counts of theft and four counts of theft of movable property. The next day, Rafael Torres was also picked up. He was charged with 16 counts of theft of movable property, 16 counts of burglary, two narcotics charges and three weapons charges. In addition to the arrests, the police were able to recover some of the items that were taken from the apartments, they said. Matt O’Connor, a resident of a downtown apartment building that was burglarized, said he only got his sunglasses back. “All the jewelry had already been pawned,” O’Connor said last week. “Some people got some of their electronic equipment back. We’re insured, but we are never going to see any of the other things again.” O’Connor even went down to a pawnshop where the suspects allegedly unloaded their take. “It was difficult to identify anything in there and the owner was not going to own up and tell us where our stuff was,” he said. Overall, O’Connor said that he thought the police did “a fantastic job” in cracking the case. But he added that once they were aware of the burglars’ method of entry, it would have been appropriate to provide the public with more information about what they could do to protect themselves. Falco said that he understood O’Connor’s point of view, but that it was important that the police try to protect the public without jeopardizing the investigation. “Sometimes we can’t tip our hand because bad guys read the papers too,” he explained. Several people familiar with the burglaries said that this was the first time that they had seen someone break into a home in Hoboken that way. “Before this, they would just take a crowbar and pry the door open,” said Eddie Campbell of Mile Square Locksmith, who installed special locks for several victims to ensure that the burglar would not be able to strike by using the same technique again. “This guy would pry a hole just above the deadbolt in the door. It was not the lock that gave way, but the door. Eventually, by prying through the door, he would get to the inner workings of the lock and he could use a screwdriver to manipulate the pin that activates the bolt. The lock is exactly where it is supposed to be, but the door was not and that is the problem.” Campbell said that most locks are not built to protect against a burglar who uses that method, although some come with a metal cowl that encases the pin and makes it impossible to trip it by burrowing through the door. Other than purchasing a lock with a cowl, the locksmith said that people could use common sense to protect themselves. “When someone buzzes, people should always ask who it is,” he said. “Probably these guys got in because they just buzzed and somebody just let them in without asking.” Crooked kitchen appliance collectors all washed up Everybody seems to be making a buck off the new development in town – even the city’s crooks. A handful of police officers discovered a bonanza of allegedly stolen property when they went inside a Jefferson Street building because they thought a robbery might be in progress July 6. “When the officers arrived, they found pry marks on the outside door and the doorknob to an interior door hanging loose,” said Acting Captain Det. Anthony Falco. “When they went inside, instead of finding a burglary in progress, they found brand new kitchen appliances like a washer, a dryer, a stove and a dishwasher.” The officers suspected that the new appliances were being stashed by a ring of thieves that was stripping brand new buildings of this sort of equipment before any residents even moved in. One building on First Street had been stripped of its appliances in such a fashion on May 17, said Falco. Similarly, a pair of microwaves was taken from a building on Grand Street on July 4. “Within one and a half hours, we had three people in custody,” said Falco. And on July 10, police arrested a fourth. Those arrested were: Roberto Martinez, 26; Fortunado Santiago, 44; Renato Smolic, 32; and John Rivera, 30. Each was charged with theft of movable property and burglary, except for Rivera, who was charged with receiving stolen property. “We feel that we will soon put this group out of business,” said Falco.
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