Money for youth soccer team stolen during break-in of coach's house, police said

The coach is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of the man who robbed his house.

Courtesy of Chris Hankins 

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP -- A thief broke into a Neptune Township home recently and stole money meant for the local youth soccer team.

The team's coach, Chris Hankins, said he is so incensed about the April 8 invasion of his family's Riverside Drive home that he's offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of the thief. 

In the 12-minute break-in, the thief stole about $12,000 worth of jewelry and $5,000 in cash, including $900 that belonged to Hankins' soccer team, said Neptune police Lt. Michael McGhee.

McGhee said the suspect walked up to the house in broad daylight and broke in through a downstairs window shortly before 10 a.m.

"The money is immaterial to me. My wife and kids haven't slept," said Hankins, a 36-year-old father of three. "As a husband and father, I'm more concerned with putting that person behind bars so I can let my family rest."

He said his wife Tracy would have been home at the time, but decided to run errands instead. When she came back, she found the house had been robbed, he said.

Based on his surveillance video, Hankins said the thief spent most of the time in the house trying to break open Hankins' safe.

It was while the thief rifled through a drawer looking for a screwdriver to use on the safe that he found the soccer team's cash, Hankins said.

He said coaches get a check from the Neptune Soccer Association at the beginning of the season to change into cash to pay referees officiating at the teams' five home games.

By Tuesday, Hankins said he received word from the soccer association that the organization would reimburse the stolen money.

"They agreed to give me back the money and it wasn't their fault," Hankins said, his voice fighting back tears. "That's what makes me want to push harder. That's what makes me want the guy harder."

Among the stolen items were the Hankinses' wedding rings, custom jewelry for the children, and heirloom jewelry, he said.