NORTH JERSEY – Two men have been arrested on various charges related to a series of burglaries across northern New Jersey, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
From December 2023 through June 2024, multiple jurisdictions in the New York and New Jersey area were affected by a residential burglary pattern, Musella said
Early on, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Reduction Unit, which was formed in late 2023 as a new initiative to address interjurisdictional crimes, began analyzing crime data, trends, and modus operandi of unsolved burglaries across the region, Musella said
This collaborative review by law enforcement from Bergen County led investigators to believe that a large cross-section of similar incidents was all connected. In particular, a series of burglaries appeared to fit an emerging pattern across Bergen County, Essex County, and Morris County, as well as similar activity in New York, Musella said
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Reduction Unit activated the assistance of its companion resource, the Crime Reduction Task Force – a group of municipal law enforcement officers from across Bergen County – who worked together over the course of many weeks to eventually identify the vehicle and suspects involved, Musella said
Based on a complex and diligent investigation that required physical surveillance, as well as a careful review of video footage and cellular phone records, detectives determined that Kali J. Carter, 49, of East Orange and Demetrius D. Hale, 49, of Bergenfield allegedly engaged in a burglary spree across northern New Jersey for nearly seven months in Bergen County, Essex County, and Morris County, Musella said
Detectives from the Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force connected 18 unsolved burglaries and one attempted burglary, all of which spanned three New Jersey counties, and in so doing, identified Carter and Hale as the suspects responsible, Musella said
On Tuesday, Aug. 27, with the assistance of the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Reduction Task Force executed search warrants at the residences of Carter and Hale, Musella said
Both men were located at their respective residences and taken into custody without incident by detectives from the Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force. During the course of the court-authorized searches, detectives recovered a .380 caliber semiautomatic Bersa Thunder handgun from Carter’s residence, Musella said
As a result of the investigation, on Tuesday, Aug. 27, Carter and Hale were remanded to the Bergen County Jail, each charged with 16 counts of various burglary and theft offenses for incidents that occurred in Bergen County including:
January 2024
- Residential burglary in Ho-Ho-Kus.
- Residential burglary in Hackensack.
- Residential burglary in Paramus.
- Two residential burglaries in Ridgewood.
February 2024
- Residential burglary in Hasbrouck Heights.
March 2024
- Residential burglary in Hackensack.
June 2024
- Residential burglary in the Township of Washington.
On Wednesday, Aug. 28, based on the results of the Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force investigation – and thanks to the coordination of law enforcement in both Essex County and Morris County – the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office further charged Carter and Hale with 11 additional counts each of various burglary and theft offenses for out-of-county incidents, including:
January 2024
- Residential burglary in Chatham Borough, Morris County.
- Attempted residential burglary in West Orange, Essex County.
February 2024
- Residential burglary in West Orange, Essex County.
March 2024
- Residential burglary in Livingston, Essex County.
June 2024
- Two residential burglaries in West Orange, Essex County.
- Residential burglary in Parsippany, Morris County
- Residential burglary in Verona, Essex County
Then on Wednesday, Aug. 28, in light of the weapon recovered by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office during the search of Carter’s residence, and with the coordination of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, he was additionally charged with first-degree possession of a firearm, and second-degree certain persons not to have weapons, Musella said
Therefore, and beyond the two aforementioned weapon offenses, Carter remains in the custody of the Bergen County Jail awaiting a detention hearing, having been charged as described above with a total of 18 counts of third-degree burglary, attempted burglary, four counts of second-degree theft, and four counts of third-degree theft. His charges encompass all of the crimes committed across Bergen County, Essex County, and Morris County, Musella said
Hale remains in the custody of the Bergen County Jail awaiting a detention hearing, having been charged with 18 counts of third-degree burglary, attempted burglary, four counts of second-degree theft, and four counts of third-degree theft. His charges encompass all of the crimes committed across Bergen County, Essex County, and Morris County, Musella said
“Thanks to the relentless and diligent work of the newly formed Crime Reduction Unit, and the considerable countywide resource that we have named the Crime Reduction Task Force, it is once again clear how collaboration among county and municipal law enforcement agencies can have a direct impact on complex cases,” Musella said. “While some investigations are resolved quickly, others require the patience and perseverance of our law enforcement officers and detectives from multiple agencies who work tirelessly to follow every lead, analyze evidence, and piece together pattern crimes. In this way, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to partner with law enforcement from across the county and across the state so that a coordinated response to organized criminal activity can have a direct impact on the quality of life for the entire region.”
