Four residents of Parlin charged in car burglaries Three men and juvenile suspected in break-ins in local neighborhoods BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - Police recently made four arrests in connection with a string of car burglaries in the borough's Parlin section. The arrests were made after police were called to Trpisovsky Court at 12:07 a.m.March 12, when three of the suspects allegedly broke into a 2007 Chevy Cobalt that was parked in the victim's driveway. A neighbor reportedly observed the crime in progress and called police. Officers arrived at the scene after the three suspects fled through the backyards of neighboring residences. Additional police units were dispatched to the area, since the community was the site of numerous burglaries in recent weeks, according to police. Authorities canvassed the development and found two of the suspects elsewhere in the LaMer development, located off Ernston Road. Police arrested the two 18-year-old males, Kryspin Grochowski, who reportedly had a knife in his possession, and Lynn Pitts. Both are residents of the LaMer community. The police department's juvenile bureau later arrested a 17-year-old Parlin resident in connection with the incidents as well. Police believe the suspects broke into at least 20 motor vehicles between Feb. 25 and March 11. A fourth suspect, MathewW. Valentin, 19, of Parlin, has also been charged with burglary and conspiracy in connection with some of the recent car burglaries in that area of Parlin, Sayreville Police Detective Russell Anderson said. The suspects would walk around the streets of their development and attempt to open the doors of parked cars as they walked by, Anderson said. If the doors were unlocked, they would ransack the vehicle, looking for desired items, he added. However, vehicles that were locked did not always deter the suspects if expensive items such as a radio or a GPS unit were left in plain view for them to see, Anderson said. In those cases, the suspects would force their way in to get what they wanted, he said. "I have done a lot of these investigations in the last year," Anderson said. "It is more prevalent now. Kids are checking the doors and ransacking cars when they find them open. If they noticed something they wanted, they would force their way in." The suspects in question are believed to have kept their alleged burglaries within the LaMer neighborhoods in Parlin, Anderson said, though police believe they did go as far as the neighboring Harbor Club Condominiums. The suspects could be responsible for more car burglaries than have been reported to police, Anderson said. In some instances, if the suspects only took loose change or other small items, the victims might not have called authorities to report the incident. "The bigger ones get reported," Anderson said. "If a navigation unit is gone, if a radio is gone or if a window is busted, we get a call." Some of the suspects allegedly attempted to burglarize a home on Overhill Drive around noon on March 11 using a key that they stole a week earlier from the victim's car. "They had gone to the extreme that, in one break in, they got away with a set of keys out of the car and one week later they attempted a burglary by using the keys," Anderson said. During that home burglary, the victim saw three suspects, two of whom fit the description of the suspects police arrested the next day. The victim told police that she heard the doorbell ring four times, and then someone attempted to open the door with a key. The victim opened the door and saw three suspects who appeared startled and fled the area. The victim said the key they used was the one stolen from the vehicle at 5:51 a.m.March 6. In another related incident, police responded to a car burglary in theMiodusky Court area at 1:07 a.m. March 7. The victim's 2000 Chevrolet Suburban, whose passenger door had been left unlocked, was burglarized, and a Pioneer radio faceplate and approximately $6 cash were stolen from the vehicle. Police responded to another related incident on Amy Court at 7:27 a.m. March 11. The victim's 2000 Honda Odyssey was entered after 6 a.m. while it was parked in the driveway. The vehicle had been left unlocked. A Panasonic radio worth $205 was reportedly stolen in that incident. Anderson advised residents who want to avoid being targeted by neighborhood car burglars not to keep things of value in their cars. "Do not leave stuff out in the open," Anderson said. "In these guys' cases, if they see a navigation unit, they would break in, but if they don't, there is less chance of them breaking in." Anyone with information on these or other incidents of theft from a motor vehicle in the area is asked to call the Sayreville Police Department at (732) 727-4444.