Sayreville, Avenel men guilty in burglary ring
Break-ins typically occurred at apartments during daytime

Three area men pleaded guilty last week in connection with a series of apartment burglaries that took place in Edison and Woodbridge over the past two years.

Brendan Davis, 21, of Sayreville, and Karim Muwakkil, 26, of the Avenel section of Woodbridge, are facing prison time for several burglaries and thefts committed in both Edison and Woodbridge beginning in July 2005, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

The third suspect, Malay Patel, 19, who has addresses in Avenel, Secaucus and Floral Park, N.Y., is expected to serve a lesser sentence after pleading guilty to participating in one break-in and selling stolen goods from other burglaries.

The burglaries in Edison and Woodbridge were similar in that they typically occurred during the daytime on weekdays when the apartment residents were at work. Another similarity was the method of entry to the apartments, which was unforced and appeared to involve the use of passkeys.

Once inside, the suspects would usually steal cash, jewelry, laptop computers, digital cameras and other electronic equipment, authorities said.

Police from Edison and Woodbridge investigated the incidents simultaneously, and received a break on Aug. 2, 2005, when a police officer in Scotch Plains responded to the report of a suspicious vehicle parked outside an apartment complex in that town. Patrolman James Richie stopped the car, occupied by Davis, Patel, Muwakkil and a juvenile, and discovered they were in possession of a video camera, Palm Pilot and credit card belonging to an Edison resident whose apartment had been broken into with a passkey earlier the same day, authorities said.

The arrest in Scotch Plains led police to form a joint task force with officers from Edison, Woodbridge, Highland Park, New Brunswick, Scotch Plains andthe Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office to conduct surveillance on the suspects.

As a result of the surveillance, police later arrested Davis and Muwakkil in Edison after they left the scene of a burglary. A search of Davis' automobile turned up "numerous items that had been stolen in many of the previous burglaries in both Edison and Woodbridge," according to a press release from the prosecutor's office. Both Davis and Muwakkil had apartment passkeys in their possession when they were arrested.

Davis last week pleaded guilty to burglary and theft charges included in 15 indictments returned against him last summer by a Middlesex County grand jury. Pursuant to his plea agreement, he faces up to 15 years in state prison.

Muwakkil pleaded guilty Thursday to four burglaries and thefts included in four indictments from last June. He faces up to 10 years in state prison, according to his plea agreement.

Patel pleaded guilty to participating in one burglary and two counts of selling laptop computers from two other burglaries. He can be sentenced to up to three years in state prison.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 4 for each of the suspects.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan complimented the police work in the investigation, making particular note of Edison Police Detectives Thomas Lacik and Alan Engel, Woodbridge Detective Richard Hardish and county Investigator Ray Durski.

"This case demonstrates the high level of cooperation and sharing of information between the police departments of Middlesex County, as well as with a police department in Union County, to solve numerous crimes which occurred in Middlesex County and to apprehend the participants in a major burglary ring," Kaplan said.