Post-Storm Car Burglaries Lead to Bloomingdale Man's Arrest

A Bloomingdale man was arrested Wednesday and charged with several crimes, including burglary and drug charges, after police said he was responsible for several car burglaries two days after Tropical Storm Sandy struck the area.

Alex Leyden, 24, was charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft after several vehicles were broken into on William Street, according to a press release from the Bloomingdale Police Department.

A patrolman responded to the neighborhood shortly after 11 p.m. following reports of two separate residents whose vehicles had been broken into and items removed while parked in the driveway.

One resident said a wallet, which included various credit cards, had been removed.

Another said a GPS was stolen and several other compartments had been accessed, but nothing additional was missing.

The patrolman discovered an allegedly suspicious-acting person nearby and, following questioning, found several of the missing items upon him. He was later identified as Leyden.

Leyden was arrested and transported to headquarters for processing. Officers found several small packages of suspected heroin, as well as a hypodermic syringe, on Leyden. He was also charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a syringe.

A bail of $10,000 was assigned by the judge and, unable to post bail, he was transported to the Passaic County Jail.