Attempted Burglary in Manalapan, Police Release Sketch of Suspect

A 62-year-old resident of Lauren Court came face to face with a man attempting to burglarize his home at 3:30 a.m. on May 24, the is reporting.

The man was described as a white male in his early twenties with short cropped brown hair, according to police. The homeowner also said the suspect was approximately 5'8" - 5'9" and about 160 lbs. After the encounter, the man fled on foot and was unable to be located by police.

The homeowner told police that he confronted a suspect crawling underneath his garage door. The garage door was being forcibly opened by the suspect and damage was caused to the garage door's metal track.

The barking of the owner's two dogs alerted the homeowner to the intruder. The man walked outside of his home and confronted the the suspect by grabbing his left wrist. The suspect was able to get out of the homeowner's grasp and flee.

A perimeter was established by police and Officer Anthony Muscarella from the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office and Nanook, a member of the K9 unit. The suspect was not located after several minutes of canvassing the neighborhood, police said.

The suspect is belived to live in the southern section of Manalapan Township in the area of Sweetman's Lane, police said.

A composite sketch has been created by police and released. Anyone with information regarding the identity of this suspect is asked to please come forward and contact Detective Leonard Maltese of the at 732-446-4300 (main) or 732-446-8388 (office).