The suspects in a Dec. 23, 2023 home invasion in Toms River, N.J. (Photo: TRPD)
Police in Toms River are seeking the public’s assistance to help catch those behind a startling pre-Christmas home invasion involving a group of suspects riding in a stolen car – and likely looking to steal another.
In the evening hours of Dec. 23, police were called to a home on Brower Avenue in Toms River for a reported burglary that had taken place while they were sleeping the night before. The homeowner stated that just before 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, they “awoke to two individuals opening their bedroom door located on the second floor of their home.”
Video home surveillance provided by the homeowner revealed four suspects dressed in all black, wearing face masks and gloves, getting out of a white BMW and approached the home.
Meanwhile, while one suspect entered the driver’s side door of the victim’s car – also a BMW – that was parked in their driveway and rummaged through the vehicle, two other suspects attempted to enter another vehicle parked in the driveway, but were unsuccessful due to it being locked, said police spokeswoman Jillian Messina.
“The suspects then broke into the home and began to rummage through the kitchen and home,” Messina said. “They proceeded upstairs and opened the homeowners bedroom door before they were scared off by the victims. The four suspects fled the area in a white BMW.”
The suspects in a Dec. 23, 2023 home invasion in Toms River, N.J. (Photo: TRPD)
The suspects in a Dec. 23, 2023 home invasion in Toms River, N.J. (Photo: TRPD)
The suspect vehicle was reported stolen out of Bayonne, according to Toms River police. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau by calling 732-349-0150, ext. 1346. All information will remain confidential, police said.
“We are asking that any residents, who are in an emergency situation, please contact the police department immediately,” a statement said.
