Two South Brunswick Men Charged with Stealing Thousands of Dollars in Jewelry

Two South Brunswick men are facing burglary charges for a break-in near Indian Fields Elementary School last week.

Vincent Johnson, 20, and Alex Hoffman, 19, both of South Brunswick, were charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief after South Brunswick Police tracked them down at a Route 130 motel and arrested them Friday afternoon.

A Ridge Road homeowner returned to his residence during his lunch hour last Monday morning and discovered that his bedrooms had been ransacked and several thousands of dollars worth of jewelry had been stolen, according to police.

A witness then reported seeing two suspicious white males in the Ridge Road neighborhood at the time the burglary occurred. Det. Kenneth Herman checked with businesses in the area and was able to piece together the suspects’ activities through video surveillance footage, according to police.

Additional witnesses were also located who indicated the suspects went into the North Brunswick area and sold the jewelry at a store, police said. Det. Herman was able to locate a safe box taken from the burglarized home in a nearby wooded area.

After receiving a tip that the suspects were staying in a room at the Travelers Inn on Route 130, a half dozen officers raided the room and arrested both suspects.

A subsequent search of the hotel room lead to additional drug charges as well. Both suspects were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, illegal possession of a prescription narcotic, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Detectives also recovered some of the stolen jewelry from the motel room, according to police. In addition, $610 in cash was seized from the room.

Johnson and Hoffman were both lodged at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in lieu of $27,500 bail each. Also charged at the motel was David Diaz, 22, of East Brunswick, who was arrested in the room for possession of drug paraphernalia and was released on a summons. 

“We are not going to tolerate criminals trying to use our hotels for criminal activity, Chief Raymond Hayducka said via release. "We will enforce all the applicable laws to ensure compliance. This investigation is an example of the great partnership we have with the citizens who observed the suspicious activity, to the businesses that provided the video, to the detective who followed through on the investigation."