Man Broke Into 2 Middlesex Boro Restaurants/Taverns, Police Say

MIDDLESEX, NJ — A Jersey City man is criminally charged with breaking into two Middlesex borough restaurants in July, said Middlesex Borough Police Chief Matthew Geist.

Both break-ins occurred on July 23.

At 4:20 a.m. that day, Middlesex Borough police officers responded to Tim Kerwin’s Tavern, 353 Bound Brook Road to investigate an activated burglar alarm. A suspect gained entry to the tavern through a kitchen window. Shortly after entering, the suspect appeared to be startled when an audible alarm activated. The suspect then fled the scene without taking any property.

Then, at 8:14 a.m. that same day, Middlesex Borough police officers responded to Vincenzo’s Ristorante, 665 Bound Brook Road to investigate a reported burglary. A rear kitchen door contained signs of forced entry. $6,000 worth of wine cases and $12,000 in cash were stolen.

During their follow-up investigation, Detectives Paul Cerreto and Paul Muldowney began coordinating with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, which was investigating a series of similar burglaries in the area.

Dashawn W. Durant, 34, of Jersey City was charged with two counts of Burglary, Theft, Criminal Mischief, Possession of Burglary Tools and Conspiracy in connection with two burglaries that occurred on July 23.

Through this joint effort and information sharing between agencies, investigators were able to identify Durant as the suspect responsible for the July 23 burglaries.