Crime & Safety
Man Posing as Salesperson Linked to Burglaries
Green Brook resident arrested after probe by Bridgewater, Warren, Bound Brook and Green Brook authorities.
A Middlesex man was arrested for a burglary in Green Brook after several Somerset County municipalities conducted a joint investigation of residential burglaries in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Warren and Green Brook.
Timothy Whitmore, 25, was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree theft when he was arrested April 26.
According to a statement released Tuesday by Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano, police departments in Bound Brook and Bridgewater reported residential burglaries with several similarities at the beginning of March.
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A Burglary Task Force was assembled with detectives from the prosecutor's office and surveillance was established in the areas of Bound Brook and Bridgewater, Soriano said.
On April 26, Soriano said Whitmore was seen in a Nissan Altima in Bound Brook, and task force members saw him walking from house to house, and knocking on doors to see if anyone was home.
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When a homeowner answered, Soriano said Whitmore asked if the person was interested in switching energy companies, and then would schedule an appointment.
On that day alone, Soriano said, Whitmore did this same thing at several homes in Bound Brook, Bridgewater, Warren, Watchung and Green Brook.
But in Green Brook, Soriano said, Whitmore disappeared between two residences and reappeared a few minutes later before heading back to his vehicle. After he left the area, Soriano said, detectives confirmed that a burgalry had taken place on Briar Circle in Green Book.
According to Soriano, task force detectives continued following Whitmore, and found him at DIA Jewelers in Plainfield. Whitmore was taken into custody when he left the business.
When detectives searched him, Soriano said they found many of the items stolen in the burglaries both on Whitmore's person and in his vehicle. Detectives were also able to get back the jewelry Whitmore had sold to DIA Jewelers, Soriano said.
Whitmore was lodged in Somerset County Jail with bail set at $25,000 with a 10 percent provision.
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