Updated: Attempted Burglary at Captain Paul's & Two Other Burglaries Under Investigation by Lawrence PD

Updated: 3:30 p.m. Sept. 15.

Lawrence Township detectives are hard at work investigating two burglaries and an attempted burglary that took place in town in less than 24 hours.

The most recent crime was the attempted break-in at Captain Paul’s Firehouse Dogs, which was discovered shortly before 9 a.m. today (Thursday, Sept. 15).

The burglaries took place yesterday, Wednesday, Sept. 14, on Ohio Avenue and at the Sunoco gas station in the 1700 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1).

Lt. Charles Edgar, spokesman for the Lawrence Township police department, said officers were called to the home in the 1500 block of Ohio Avenue at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday after someone discovered that the door to the enclosed rear porch had been forced open.

It did not appear that the burglar ever gained entry to the main part of the house, he said, adding that the only thing that appeared to have been stolen from the enclosed porch area was a hammer.

Police responded to the Sunoco after receiving a report at 11:50 p.m. Wednesday that the gas station’s alarm system had been activated. Officers arrived to find that one of the building’s windows had been busted out, Edgar said. He said the owners of the gas station today were still trying to determine if anything had been stolen.

And a little before 9 a.m. today, township public works employees - sent to cut the grass on township property nearby – noticed that someone had tried to break into Captain Paul’s, a popular eatery in the 2200 block of Princeton Pike.

The attempted burglary had taken place sometime between Wednesday night and this morning.

The glass of both front doors was shattered, as was the glass of the restaurant's main display window, but it did not look as if the perpetrator ever got inside the building. 

A landscaping brick found at the scene appeared to have been used to break the glass.

Police officers could be seen examining the brick and dusting the glass and door frames for fingerprints. 

Paul Tweedly, the retired Trenton firefighter who owns the restaurant, arrived while police were investigating.

Well-regarded around the town, he is known for his generosity and willingness to host fundraisers for various schools and nonprofits in the township, donating large portions of his proceeds to their causes.