New Rochelle Police are confident that the man arrested after a brief car chase the night of July 16th, is one of the men responsible for a series of burglaries and attempted burglaries that have plagued the North End of New Rochelle, knowledgeable sources say.
On the night of July 16th, New Rochelle police officers responded to a 911 call reporting a home invasion at 105 Forest Avenue. Police quickly located the suspects. One was caught after the van he was driving developed a flat tire several blocks from the scene. The driver of the van, Joseph E. Gill, 39, of 148 Tudor Court, Lakewood, N.J. was apprehended and arrested. Two other suspects in the van escaped on foot.
Police are attempting to link the three men to the North End burglary spree going back to November of 2009, first reported by Talk of the Sound in April.
There were some dissimilarities between the July 16 incident and previous burglaries and attempted burglaries — it occurred at 10:30 PM when previous burglaries occurred between 6 PM and 9 PM, and someone was at home.
There were, however, many similarities — the method of entry, the point of entry, the neighborhood chosen for the crime, choosing a weekend date, the items stolen (jewelry and other valuables were recovered from the van that night) and the type of vehicle (past reports indicates a “white van” although no solid description was given).
Although the burglars struck outside their normal hours of 6 – 9 PM, in the summer months a 10:30 break-in would be within 90 minutes of sunset. Police Commissioner Carroll had previously theorized at a public meeting that the burglars waited until dusk in order to see if there lights on in the home.
As for the resident being home, police believe this may have just been a mistake. With the lights turned off in the house, the burglars may have thought no one was home and not considered the residents had already gone to sleep and turned out the lights.
New Rochelle Police Chase Three, Capture One Suspect in North End Home Invasion