Break-in on Oakview Ave - Wed Night
Just awful. I wish you peace of mind and a good night's sleep as soon as possible. How invaded you must feel. I am sorry for the loss of your peace. Thank you for sharing so we can all be more vigilant.
Congrats on keeping it together when you discovered the intruder. I would have either collapsed or gone all crazy at him. Glad no one was hurt and I am sure that our local cops will catch him in no time.
Sorry this happened to you. I doubt I could have remained as composed.
Were you able to determine if you had indeed left your door unlocked? Or does this nocturnal visitor possibly have lockpicking abilities?
Very upsetting 
Glad you and your family are physically okay. I see from your picture he touched your door handle without gloves. Hope the police were able to get his prints on file in case he does this again, or has already done it before, since they didn't get him right away.
I am so impressed with your composure, but it does seem the best possible outcome, aside from him being caught, that is...
It looked like he left fingerprints on that door unless he was wearing gloves . Did the police dust for prints ?
Sorry for your trouble. You do seem incredibly composed
My jaw is on the floor reading this. Thank you for posting. Glad you are all ok.
Shocking... I would be shaking if I were you, still.
Beyond the fingerprints, which will only help if he's already in the system, you caught the reflection of his face in the glass of the door. If that photo is lightened up considerably, you might be able to get a reasonably good image of him. (I just tried and failed, but I'm not at all good at this... maybe the police will do better.)
I'm so glad HE kept it together instead of getting violent. What a terrifying experience for you.
Wow. I'm shook up after reading your account. I'm amazed that you kept it together and so relieved that he left without incident. Can I ask - what did you say to him? Was he nervous or just as composed?
Thank you for posting and I hope that they're able to catch him soon.
There doesn't seem to be too much that can be done for lightening the face. You can get a little more definition behind the body, but there's not enough light in the reflection. You also have the portions of the frame blocking where the face would be. Add in compression artifacts and there's not much there.
I've attached the best I was able to get.
PeggyC said:
Shocking... I would be shaking if I were you, still.
Beyond the fingerprints, which will only help if he's already in the system, you caught the reflection of his face in the glass of the door. If that photo is lightened up considerably, you might be able to get a reasonably good image of him. (I just tried and failed, but I'm not at all good at this... maybe the police will do better.)
I'm so glad HE kept it together instead of getting violent. What a terrifying experience for you.
Wow, I like your thinking, It reminds me of a classic film, Blowup!
I think you showed great courage and smartly took the pic and called the police. But I think the lesson learned is if someone is detected in your driveway at that hour, the police should have been called immediately, before (or instead of) going downstairs.
But I get it, it's disorienting being woken up and all that. Glad everyone is ok.
The ability to set our alarm to "Arm Stay" at night makes it worth every penny. Any door or window opened or glass broken blasts the alarm and alerts the authorities...
Wow, so scary... these threads always remind me that we really should look at an alarm system, if only for peace of mind.
Thanks for the well wishes, everyone here is fine.
As way of update, the detectives came this morning and dusted the kitchen and doors.
If anyone here knows residents on Oakview or North Crescent who happen to have surveillance cameras pointed toward their yard, the Maplewood Police are looking to see if someone might have inadvertently caught a better shot of the suspect.
Thanks again.
TarheelsInNj said:
Wow, so scary... these threads always remind me that we really should look at an alarm system, if only for peace of mind.
Absolutely! Ours (ADT) is under $50 per month and WELL worth it. We also upgraded recently to "Pulse" which lets us monitor and control remotely (the alarm, thermostat, lights, doors). We arm the alarm at night and sleep MUCH better...
OMG I'm so glad you and your family are OK (shook up, feeling violated and all that goes with it, but physically OK). What a frightening experience and you really kept your cool which, like others have said, I seriously doubt I'd be able to do. Get that burglar alarm put in right away -- call Osvaldo at Metro Alarm and he'll make sure you're taken care of.
Millburn police to discuss safety issues at forum
JUNE 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015, 10:06 AM
THE ITEM OF MILLBURN AND SHORT HILLS
public forum
Police to discuss local safety issues
On Wednesday, June 10, residents are invited to attend a meeting with members of the Millburn Police Department to discuss safety issues related to our homes and streets at the Wyoming Club, 60 Linden St., at 7 p.m. (Millburn)
The forum, which is open to the public, is being co-sponsored by both the Millburn-Short Hills Democratic Committee and the Millburn Short Hills Republican Municipal Committee.
Organizers say that historically, increases in local break-ins occur during the summer season. Residents will be provided with recommendations for securing their properties and will have the opportunity to ask questions of police officials.
***Maplewood Police will be at this event also***
posting for a friend, we all need to look out for each other..all invited!!
Happy everyone is ok..
mumstheword said:
OMG I'm so glad you and your family are OK (shook up, feeling violated and all that goes with it, but physically OK). What a frightening experience and you really kept your cool which, like others have said, I seriously doubt I'd be able to do. Get that burglar alarm put in right away -- call Osvaldo at Metro Alarm and he'll make sure you're taken care of.
We've been pondering an alarm system for the almost 3 years we've lived in Maplewood. Hm.
Any other alarm company reccs? (Yes, yes, I know, I'll go search the archives...)
meganlibrarian said:
mumstheword said:We've been pondering an alarm system for the almost 3 years we've lived in Maplewood. Hm.
OMG I'm so glad you and your family are OK (shook up, feeling violated and all that goes with it, but physically OK). What a frightening experience and you really kept your cool which, like others have said, I seriously doubt I'd be able to do. Get that burglar alarm put in right away -- call Osvaldo at Metro Alarm and he'll make sure you're taken care of.
Any other alarm company reccs? (Yes, yes, I know, I'll go search the archives...)
Very happy with Frontpoint.
meganlibrarian said:We've been pondering an alarm system for the almost 3 years we've lived in Maplewood. Hm.
Any other alarm company reccs? (Yes, yes, I know, I'll go search the archives...)
We love ADT and as I stated previously, it's less than $50 per month. You may need to purchase some of the equipment tho.
Also check with your home-owners' insurance company - most have deals with security companies that lowers the cost to the insured for installation and monthly monitoring.
Well, nobody asked for it, and it's from a humor website, but if you're thinking about getting an alarm system it's worth exploring the facts: http://www.cracked.com/article_22458_our-mistakes-kill-you-5-lessons-adt-alarm-technician.html
So if you don't want to read the article (which I get) you may want to think about the following:
1. What's the alarm company's policy for notifying the police? How many calls are required before calling MPD?
2. What is the town's false alarm policy (some towns impose fines for too many false alarms)?
3. What are the pros and cons of the various technologies? It sounds like a simple "door opened after the alarm system is activated at night" alarm would have sufficed. But there's motion detector technology and window sensors that could give a lot of false alarms.
We periodically get calls from the company which monitors my in-laws' house when they have to call to check on an alarm. It's usually because of a power outage, and they want to confirm that it's real rather than someone cutting the power to break in.
There is a house in our neighborhood where the house alarm has gone off about five times this year so far, Usually in the middle of the day, and we've never heard about actual attempted break-ins so I assume they are all false alarms. I don't know which house it is so I can't ask (it may not even be on our block).
Just some thoughts about alarm systems.
An alternative to an alarm system can be something as simple as motion sensor lighting.
cats said:
An alternative to an alarm system can be something as simple as motion sensor lighting.
So the crook doesn't have to bring a flashlight? I'd say lighting is a good addition but no alternative.
We've been very happy with the system installed and maintained by Metro Alarm. Osvaldo is incredibly responsive and a sharp-eyed troubleshooter.
http://www.metroalarm.com
@rowerg you have amazing presence of mind! I'm sorry this happened to you and I'm so glad you and your family are OK.
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Valley end of Oakview Ave- last night at 3:50a, I awoke to the sound of someone walking down our driveway. Upon investigating, I found our backdoor wide open.
After turning on the lights and spending a few minutes trying to figure out if we had accidentally not closed it all the way, and trying to find our cats, I found a young man in his twenties crouched down behind our kitchen island. He was about 175 lbs, 5'11" and unshaven face. Athletic build and was carrying a white smartphone.
After a brief and peaceful confrontation and conversation, he left through the back door, police were called. They responded immediately and a canine unit was dispatched. The young man was not found.
I was unable to capture a photo of his face, but here is one of him leaving my kitchen after our exchange. If you happen to recognize the person in the photo, please call Maplewood Police. Apologies I don't see how to rotate the photo.