Crime & Safety

Cops: Restaurant Burglar Also Stole Items From Cars

The following arrest information was supplied by the Morris Township Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Morris Township police say they scored a double on Friday, when a man they arrested for allegedly breaking into a local restaurant was found to have items reported stolen from several unlocked cars.

Eugene Hayes, 39, of Morristown, was charged with burglary and theft from the restaurant, plus burglary and theft from the unlocked car, police said. 

At 2:30 a.m. on May 27, according to police, a burglar alarm was activated at the Yummy Yummy Chinese Restaurant on Speedwell Ave. in Morris Township because the business had been broken-into through a rear door.

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Capt. Rich Ferrone said that the presence of extra police patrols in the area, prompted by and  allowed police to quickly nab Hayes, who was found riding a bicycle in the area. The Morris County Sheriff's Department's K-9 Unit and Criminal Investigation Section also assisted in the investigation. Police did not specify how he was identified as a suspect.

Hayes was taken to the Morris County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, police said.

Find out what's happening in Morris Township-Morris Plainswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ferrone said that there is no reason to believe that Hayes had any connection to another person arrested the same weekend, . On May 30, a 17-year-old Morris Township teen was reportedly traveling by bicycle in the early morning hours, carrying a laptop and several GPS units believed stolen from unlocked cars in the area, when he was arrested by Morris Township police.

"It's happening in towns all around here," Ferrone said. "The economy isn't good and unlocked cars are seen as an easy target."

The Morris Township Police urge residents to lock their cars and remove valuables from sight, whether the vehicle is parked in the street or in their driveways.

For questions about this post, email kathy.shaskan@patch.com.


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