Leonia Police Ask for Public's Help in Catching Condo Intruder

LEONIA -- Police are searching for a man who tried to force his way into a Lakeview Avenue condominium and knocked a resident down before fleeing early Monday.

The condo resident had come home shortly after midnight and was inside for a few minutes when she heard the doorknob being tried, according to a police statement. Assuming it was a housemate, she opened the door but found a man she didn't know. 

She quickly tried to close the door, but the man had wedged his body between the storm door and interior door, police said. The intruder knocked the woman down by pushing open the front door before taking off.  

Leonia, Englewood and Palisades Park police setup a perimeter but did not find the intruder. 

A dog from the Bergen County Sheriff's Department was called in and tracked the man north from the condo, near Overpeck Park, to Brookside Avenue in Englewood before losing the scent, the statement said. 

The intruder was described as a black male, 22-years-old or older, about 5-feet-10, with thick lips and a wide nose, police said. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue sweat pants and white sneakers. 

Police urged anyone with information to call the Leonia Detective Bureau at 201-592-5764.