Homeowners Wake Up, Scare Off Burglars During Toms River Break-In

TOMS RIVER, NJ ? A Toms River couple woke up to find two burglars opening their bedroom door during a break-in early Saturday morning, Toms River police said Wednesday.

The homeowner told police they were awakened just before 2:30 a.m. by their bedroom door, on the second floor of the home on Brower Avenue, said Jillian Messina, media relations spokesperson for the Toms River Police Department.

Surveillance video showed four suspects get out of a white BMW and approach the home. They were dressed all in black and were wearing face masks and gloves, she said.

One suspect opened the driver side door of the victim?s BMW in their driveway and rummaged through the vehicle. Two others tried to enter another vehicle parked in the driveway, but it was locked, Messina said.

The suspects then broke into the home and began to rummage through the kitchen and home, then went upstairs and opened the homeowners' bedroom door before they were scared off, she said.

The four suspects fled the area in a white BMW, which had been reported stolen in Bayonne, Messina said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau at 732-349-0150, ext. 1346. All information will remain confidential.

"We are asking that any residents who are in an emergency situation, please contact the police department immediately," Messina said.