Fairfield Man Faces Nearly 100 Burglary Charges In Tri-State Area

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield man who was under investigation for more than a year in three states has been hit with a slew of new charges, according to the prosecutor's office in Morris County, New Jersey.

According to authorities, Patrick Ryan, 31, of Longview Avenue, burglarized numerous residents throughout the tri-state area, including locations in:

• Greenwich
• New Canaan
• New Milford
• Warwick, New York
• Goshen, New York
• Greenville, New York
• Chester, New York
• Campbell Hall, New York
• Minisink, New York
• Wallkill, New York
• Florida, New York
• Franklin Borough, New Jersey
• Hardyston Township, New Jersey
• Lafayette Township, New Jersey
• Sparta Township, New Jersey
• Vernon Township, New Jersey
• Wantage, New Jersey
• Rockaway Township, New Jersey
• Butler, New Jersey
• Kinnelon, New Jersey
• Chester, New Jersey
• Boonton Township, New Jersey
• Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
• Warren Township, New Jersey

Ryan's arrest stemmed from the joint efforts of the following New Jersey agencies: Morris County Prosecutor's Office Intelligence Unit, the Boonton Township Police Department, the Chester Police Department, the Kinnelon Police Department and the Rockaway Township Police Department, officials said. Also involved in the effort were multiple law enforcement agencies from Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, according to officials.

Ryan was in possession of several victims' personal property as well as tools used while committing the burglaries, according to police. The following items were recovered as a result of the investigation:

• Shotgun
• Crossbow
• Nine handguns
• Multiple purses
• Multiple credit cards
• Personal identifications
• Cash
• Burglar tools
• Large amount of gift cards

At the time of his arrest, Ryan was in possession of stolen proceeds, authorities said, and he is implicated in several vehicle burglaries and attempted burglaries in Rockaway Township from the weekend of Jan. 23 and Jan. 24.

Ryan was charged with the following in Morris County:

• 13 counts of third-degree burglary to a motor vehicle
• Seven counts of third-degree attempted burglary to a motor vehicle
• One count of third-degree theft from a motor vehicle
• One count of third-degree theft
• Four counts of fourth-degree theft
• One count of fourth-degree theft from a motor vehicle
• One count of disorderly persons offense theft
• Four counts of disorderly persons offense theft from a motor vehicle
• Two counts of disorderly persons offense criminal mischief

When Ryan was arrested, New Jersey authorities had a warrant for his house in Fairfield but did not have jurisdiction, so Fairfield police obtained a warrant and conducted a search and seizure in January at the home to claim any stolen property, seizing over 100 items, Fairfield police Lt. Antonio Granata said.

"There are a slew of towns that are involved and a slew of victims from those towns," Granata said.

Several additional items were located and seized as a result of search warrants to the vehicle Ryan was driving and within his home.

Burglaries involving Ryan occurred between August 2020 and January 2021, according to police, who said he would commit the crimes between midnight and 7 a.m.

Ryan is on probation in Connecticut for similar crimes, according to authorities.

Franklin Borough, Hardyston Township, the New Jersey State Police, Sparta Township and Vernon Township charged Ryan with numerous crimes, including:

• 74 counts of burglary to a motor vehicle
• 13 counts of criminal mischief
• 51 counts of theft of movable property
• Seven counts of theft of a credit card
• One count of unlawful possession of a firearm
• One count of burglary while in possession of a firearm

Police said Ryan's girlfriend, Chelsea A. Russell, 29, also of Fairfield, is being investigated as well for her involvement in the crimes. As of Thursday, Ryan was in the custody of the Morris County Correctional Facility, officials said.

New Jersey Patch Field Editor Russ Crespolini contributed to this report.