A 19-year-old Red Bank man is being held on $345,000 bail in connection with what police say was an armed burglary of an acquaintance’s apartment on Harding Road early Tuesday morning.
Prince Johnson was arrested at his West Westside Avenue home without incident yesterday by Lt. Michael Clay and Investigator Juan Sardo, according to a press release from the department..
Police say Johnson and other unnamed individuals had been visiting the victim early Tuesday when Johnson left and then contacted one of the remaining visitors to meet him downtown. After the visitors left, the victim told police, he discovered that a large amount of cash was missing from his bedroom.
A few minutes later, the victim, also 19, said he heard noise coming from his bedroom, and found the door locked from the inside. He forced it open to find that Johnson and two other men had entered the room through a window and “were in the process of stealing additional items,” according to the police announcement.
One of the men pointed a silver handgun at the victim and forced him into another room while the suspects fled with stolen goods, the victim told police, who were called at 3:41a.
While police were investigating, the people who had previously left to pick Johnson up downtown returned and told police they’d been unable to locate him.
Johnson is in the Monmouth County Correctional Facility, charged with armed burglary, armed robbery and theft. Police are searching for his two accomplices, described as black men, about 19 or 20 years old, short in stature and wearing dark colored hooded sweatshirts. Information may be left anonymously at the police tip line at 732.450.9704 or directly with Lt. Clay at 732.530.2719.
Police are also investigating a possible connection to a report by the same victim last Saturday that a safe had been stolen from his apartment.
