Police: 4 Thefts and 2 Break-ins Within Two Weeks

The Manalapan Police Department is reporting four thefts, two illegal entries, and one attempted burglary within the past two weeks.

• Ptl. Matthew Meyler responded to a Hancock Lane home on Jan. 2 for the report of a jewelry theft. Jewelry valued at $8,400 was stolen from the owner's jewelry box. The victim, a 58-year-old woman, told police that she thinks the theft took place on Dec. 20. 
• An unidentified man gained illegal entry into a home on Applegate Terrace in the early afternoon of Dec. 28. The housekeeper told police that she saw a strange man in the upstairs bathroom. The suspect was described as black male wearing a plaid shirt. The Manalapan Township Police and the Monmouth County Sheriffs K9 officer checked the home and the surrounding area for the man, but they produced no leads and no suspects are currently known.
• Police arrived at a Sherman Court residence on the evening of Dec. 27 for a report of a side door window being smashed and the door being left open. A screen of a rear window was also removed and entry was made through an unlocked window. Illegal entry was made to both the main home residence and their attached apartment. Nothing was missing or disturbed in the apartment side and there was minimal damage made to the main home. A strong odor of burnt marijuana was found in the home along with alcohol bottles on the kitchen table. 
• A 55-year-old Manalapan man arrived at the Manalapan Police Department to report the theft of jewelry and $56,000 in cash from his home. He told police that the theft occurred some time between Sept. 23 and Dec. 27.
• Paul Pawlik, 21, attempted to force entry into a Livingston Lane residence and was arrested by police and he was turned over to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in default of bail.
• Christmas presents were stolen from the garage of a San Fratello Court home. The wrapped presents were taken some time between Dec. 17 and Dec. 24. There was no sign of forced entry so police surmise that the gifts, valued at about $200, were taken when the garage door was open at some point during the week. 
• Six metal tables and nine metal chairs were stolen from a business within the Yorktowne Shopping Center on Dec. 24. The furniture was placed outside near the rear exit while maintenance work was being done inside of the store. The tables and chairs are valued at about $1,140.

All of these thefts, with the exception of the arrest of Pawlik, are currently under investigation or pending an investigation.