LACEY – Two locals were arrested and charged for several car burglaries in the area, police said.
Around 1 p.m. Tuesday, police received a call about a suspicious individual in the Encore Dental parking lot in Lacey Township who was attempting to burglarize parked cars. The suspect then entered a car and fled the area.
Authorities located car and pulled it over in front of PNC Bank on Lacey Road.
Investigation determined that 38-year-old Edward McGrath of Little Egg Harbor was the suspect in the attempted car burglaries at Encore Dental.
Police later used surveillance video to confirm that the suspect was also responsible for several car burglaries that had taken place at the Lacey McDonalds on Route 9 in Lanoka Harbor.
As a result, police arrested McGrath as well as 47-yeasr-old Kathleen Papa of Little Egg Harbor.
McGrath was charged with multiple counts of Burglary, Theft, Receiving Stolen Property, Criminal Attempt and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia stemming from the car burglaries at McDonalds and the attempted car burglaries at Encore Dental.
Papa was charged with Criminal attempt, Receiving Stolen Property and Theft.
According to police, McGrath had stolen a bag of clothes from a car at McDonalds that was originally from TJ Maxx. Papa then returned the clothes to TJ Maxx in the Lacey Mall and kept the proceeds for herself. Papa’s vehicle was impounded at the scene as the investigation continues, police said.
McGrath was lodged in the Ocean County Jail. Papa was released on a criminal summons.
Officer Randy Plis is the investigating officer for this incident.
All charges are merely accusations, and those charged are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.
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