Defiant Trespass, Theft by Deception: Princeton Police Blotter

PRINCETON, NJ — On Jan. 14, at 4:22 p.m., in response to a call for service, a 38-year-old Princeton man was found to be trespassing on Princeton Housing Authority (PHA) property after being advised of his persona non grata (PNG) status. He was issued a special complaint summons for Defiant Trespass (2C:18-3b) with a notice to appear before the Princeton Municipal Court.

On Jan. 14, at 11:48 a.m., patrols were dispatched to Hun Road for the report of a package theft. Police spoke with the victim, who said that a package containing a "13 inch Macbook Air with M2 Chip - Starlight" valued at $899 was stolen from the front porch of the home just after being delivered by a FedEx employee. Patrols canvassed the area for the suspect with negative results. The police department is investigating.

On Jan. 14, at 12:56 a.m., officers were dispatched to a business on Hulfish Street in response to a reported shoplifting incident. On arrival, officers found that the suspects had fled the area. Police canvassed the surrounding area but were unable to locate the suspects. According to preliminary investigation, four people entered the store, removed clothing from display tables, and placed the items into bags. They then left the store and fled eastbound on Hulfish Street. Surveillance video showed that the suspects entered a gray Jeep and departed the area.

Here's the description of the suspects

• Suspect 1: Black female wearing black pants, a black and white North Face jacket, and black and white shoes.
• Suspect 2: Black female wearing a matching green/blue shirt and pants, black boots, and a purse. Suspect 2 appears to have a tattoo on her right hand.
• Suspect 3: Black female with red hair wearing tan or light pink pants, a black jacket, and black boots.
• Suspect 4: Black male wearing a black hooded North Face jacket, black pants, black and gray New Balance shoes.

All suspects were reported to be between 17 and 23 years old. Further investigation revealed that a 5th suspect, a black female wearing a white t-shirt, black sweatshirt, pink pants, pink winter hat, and white shoes, was parked in a vehicle in the area. Video surveillance showed Suspect 5 leaving the vehicle (a gray Jeep) and urinating in the area prior to the theft occurring. The total number of stolen merchandise was estimated to be around $18,820. The incident remains under investigation by the Princeton Police Department Detective Bureau.

On Jan. 15, at 8:35 p.m., police responded to a home on Clay St. after receiving a 911 call reporting an unwanted person. The victim reported that the accused, a 43-year-old Princeton resident, knocked on the doors and windows of the house and eventually opened/damaged a rear window and partially entered through same. Following an on-scene investigation, the man was placed under arrest and later charged with criminal trespass, criminal mischief, and defiant trespass. He was taken to PPD HQ for arrest processing and was later transported to the Mercer County Correctional Facility.

On Jan. 17, at 12:03 p.m., police was dispatched to police headquarters for the report of a theft by deception. R resident reported that an unknown suspect(s) purported to be his employer's Chief Executive Officer, and requested that the victim purchase 10 eBay gift cards from CVS and 10 eBay gift cards from Walgreens, valued at $200 each. The resident also visited two additional Walgreens and purchased four Target gift cards and one Apple gift card valued at $250.00 each. The victim provided the gift card access codes to the unknown suspect(s) via text message, but later realized they had been scammed. As a result of this incident, the victim suffered a total monetary loss of $5,250.

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