A North Bergen man was apprehended early Wednesday morning after a warrant was issued for his arrest due to his allegedly involvement in nine burglaries, police said.
According to Cpt. Robert Dowd, Daniel Aquino was linked to one burglary last month, when latent fingerprints found at the crime scene. North Bergen Police sent the prints to the NJ State Police, which came back to Aquino.
Dowd said that last month, Aquino allegedly broke into a home by Cottage Avenue by gaining entry through the bathroom window. He allegedly stole $6,000 worth of jewelry.
“The homeowner found the house ransacked,” said Dowd.
Dowd said that the detectives on the case then looked for unsolved crimes that had a similar modus operandi.
Police found eight other burglaries over the past year. Aquino allegedly stole $20,000 from these house break-ins.
Police issued a warrant for Aquino’s arrest on April 7.
After police went to the suspect’s last known residence and alerted his girlfriend, he came to the department to inquire why they were looking for him around 4 a.m. the next day, Dowd said.
“We only had forensics to link him to one [crime],” said Dowd. “He gave confessions to the detectives linking him to the others.”
Cooperative with police
Dowd said that after being arrested, Police drove Aquino throughout North Bergen, and he pointed out which houses he broke into.
Dowd said that the break-ins occurred from downtown North Bergen to the northern part of town.
“Within a year’s time, [the crimes occurred] anywhere from Seventh street 79th, so this guy travelled around,” said Dowd.
Aquino was charged with nine counts of burglary and theft, Dowd said.
Dowd said that it was good police work that led to backlogged cases that at first had no leads.
Burglaries at same rate, or lower
Dowd said that North Bergen has not seen a spike in burglaries.
“Countrywide, there’s been a spike in burglaries, and we’ve seen either a modest increase or stayed the same,” said Dowd, who added that the final statistics of this year were not available yet.
He said that part of the reason North Bergen’s burglary rate has been decreasing over the past two years was because police not only write up a case report, but educate people who experience break-ins about how to prevent them from happening again.
Some of the crime prevention tips include installing a locking latch on bathroom windows, or adding a deadbolt lock to a door.
“It’s peace of mind, and it’s also reality,” said Dowd. “I work evenings sometimes, so for my family, I want some peace of mind.”
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.