Gloucester Township police arrested a Lindenwold NJ man who allegedly committed a burglary at an abandoned business.
Gloucester Township police officers reportedly discovered the 26-year-old suspect hiding in the abandoned building. The officers were on patrol near Blackwood Clementon Road when they saw that a motor vehicle was parked next to the building.
Since the car had not been there 10 minutes earlier when the officers drove past the business, they decided to investigate. When police entered the building, they reportedly heard a loud noise.
The officers also saw significant damage that appeared to be the result of someone attempting to remove copper pipes from the structure.
Police also noticed cigarette smoke in the air around a crawl space. The officers investigated and reportedly found the suspect hiding in the back of the building.
The suspect was instructed to exit the crawl space, at which point he was placed under arrest.
The suspect was subsequently charged with a number of crimes, including burglary, theft of movable property, criminal mischief, and possession of burglary tools. Additionally, the suspect was charged with resisting arrest because he allegedly struggled with officers while they attempted to take him into custody.
If the suspect is eventually convicted on the burglary charges, he could be subject to serious penalties. That’s because N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2 typically classifies burglary as a third degree felony. A conviction for third degree burglary is punishable by a sentence of 3-5 years in New Jersey State Prison.
After being arrested and processed, the suspect was transported to the Camden County Correctional Facility. He was being held at the jail on a $25,000 bail amount.
For more information about this case, check out the NJ.com article entitled “Man Faces Burglary Charge After Hiding Out in Abandoned Gloucester Township Business, Police Say.”
