Authorities Arrest Suspects in Connection with Bergen County Home Burglaries

Authorities say two men were arrested in connection to multiple home burglaries throughout Bergen, Passaic and Essex Counties.

“Following a series of daytime residential burglaries in Bergen County and surrounding areas, detectives from the affected areas met and shared information about their respective burglaries,” Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said. “As a result, suspects were developed and a multi-jurisdictional task force was formed.”

Daniel Gomez, 46, of Union City, and Julio Ponce, 33, of Clifton, were arrested Tuesday following a two month joint investigation comprised of detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and the Paramus, Rutherford, Franklin Lakes, River Edge, Fair Lawn, Englewood, Tenafly, Cliffside Park, Fairfield, Belleville, Verona and Totowa Police Departments.

Members of the task force were conducting physical surveillance on Feb. 10 when they witnessed a van being driven by Gomez pick up Ponce and drive to Englewood. Shortly after 10 a.m., task force officers notified police in Englewood that the men appeared to be looking at homes to burglarize in the 1st Ward section of the town.

But after being scared off by an audible burglar alarm in the 1st Ward section of Englewood, “the actors proceeded to ’case’ homes to burglarize in Tenafly,” Molinelli said. After a short time, they proceeded back to Englewood and “cased” homes in the 3rd Ward section.

That’s when officers from the task force and Englewood police established a perimeter and after several minutes, ”arrested the actors without incident following the commission of a residential burglary,” according to Molinelli.

A search warrant on the van turned up evidence linking the suspects to the burglary of the residence in the 3rd Ward section of Englewood.

Further evidence revealed that the men were also responsible for committing over a dozen residential burglaries in the following jurisdictions: River Edge (2 homes), Fair Lawn (1 home), Franklin Lakes (1 home), Fairfield (4 homes), Totowa (1 home), Belleville (1 home), Verona (1 home), Englewood (1 home), as well as an attempted burglary.

Gomez is charged with one count each of burglary, theft, attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools, and possession of CDS. Ponce is charged with one count each of burglary, theft, attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools.

“Additional charges from the aforementioned jurisdictions will be forthcoming and the investigation of the actors’ burglary activities is continuing,” Molinelli said.

Photo 1: Daniel Gomez

Photo 2: Julio Ponce

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