Asian Business Owners Targeted By Burglars In Morris Co.: Police

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — The owners of Asian business and restaurants have been targeted in a string of burglaries at their Morris County homes over the past several months, Morris County law enforcement officials said.

The burglaries occurred over the past five months and were similar: the private residences of business owners were broken into through the side or the rear of the home, police said. The stolen items include currency, safes, birth certificates, passports and "other documents," but valuables were left behind.

Officials say once victim had his car burglarized while parked at his business before his home was targeted; an insurance card was taken from his car.

The investigation is being confused by the Morris County Sheriff and Prosecutor's offices, as well as local agencies. Officials said similar incidents have happened around the state, as well as in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Morris County Sheriff’s Trends and Analysis Team (MCSTAT) at 973-682-8711, mcstat@co.morris.nj.us , the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Unit at (973) 285-6300, intel@co.morris.nj.us or the Morris Township Police Department at (973) 539-0777.

Police shared these safety tips:

• Lock the windows and doors to your residence
• Do not hide spare keys outside your home
• Lock your vehicle
• Keep vehicle documents in your wallet and not your car
• Do not leave large amounts of currency in your home
• If possible, secure important documents (birth certificates, passports…) in a safe deposit box or other secure location
• If you have a home security system, make sure it is turned on and operational with Cloud based or off site storage capability
• Report any suspicious activity (vehicles, people) at work/home to local police
• Inform your family, friends and neighbors about these incidents and encourage them to report anything suspicious to local police

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