Jewelry Taken From Home Leads to Burglary Arrest

A 25-year-old man out on bail on burglary charges was arrested Thursday for breaking into a Warren Township residence earlier this week, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said.

Timothy Whitmore, who claimed to be homeless, was charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree theft and possession of burglary tools, a disorderly persons offense.

Jewelry, electronics and cash were stolen from a Mundy Lane residence on Monday, according to a statement released Friday by Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano and Warren Township Police Chief Russell Leffert.

Entry was gained into the home by prying off a screen and forcing open a side window, the prosecutor's office said.

Members of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Burglary Task Force recovered some of the jewelry taken from the home, the prosecutor's office said.

The jewelry led authorities to Whitmore, who was arrested Thursday by Bound Brook Police while walking on Route 22, the prosecutor's office said.

Whitmore was found in possession of a screwdriver with a bent tip at the time of his arrest, the prosecutor's office said.

Whitmore had been out on bail stemming from other burglary charges in Somerset County, the prosecutor's office said.

Whitmore was lodged at the Somerset County Jail in lieu of $55,000 bail.