Police charged a Bridgeton man and are looking for a second suspect in connection with a pair of smash-and-grab burglaries.
WEST DEPTFORD TWP. -- Police have charged a Bridgeton man and are looking for a second suspect in connection with a pair of smash-and-grab burglaries at local businesses.
Jay Boyce, 52, admitted that he and another man broke into the Citgo Tobacco and Cigar Outlet in Deptford Township on Jan. 3 and a Citgo gas station in West Deptford Township on Jan. 4, according to West Deptford police.
In the first case, the burglars broke a window and entered the Hurffville Road business, stealing cartons of cigarettes and lottery tickets. In the second crime, the burglars stole $270 cash and several cartons of cigarettes. Both burglaries were committed in the early morning.
Police credited "cooperating witnesses" in helping identify Boyce as a suspect.
He confessed after his Jan. 13 arrest at his Bridgeton home, where he was apprehended without incident, police said. A search of his home turned up clothing and lottery tickets confirmed stolen in the Deptford case.
Boyce told police he was uncertain about the identify of his accomplice, saying he goes by the names "Malik" or "Yousef" and is either from Camden or the Bridgeton area. Police released a security camera image of the suspect.
Boyce was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary and placed in Salem County Correctional Facility on $25,000 full cash bail.
Anyone with information regarding the other suspect or other details of the case is asked to contact West Deptford Police Investigator Jeffrey Pallies, 856-853-4599 ext. 163, or Deptford Police Detective Michael Pardini, 856-845-6300 ext. 1272. All information provided will remain confidential.
Police have not linked the pair to a Dec. 23 burglary at the Citgo station on Red Bank Avenue in West Deptford. In that case, two men were spotted on surveillance camera stealing a cash drawer and scratch-off lottery tickets after breaking out the glass in the front door. That case remains under investigation.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.