The man is seen breaking into a house in Ocean Township and stealing a laptop computer
OCEAN TOWNSHIP -- A man pried open the first-floor window of an Ocean Township house Thursday and while the owners' dogs calmly watched he walked off with a lap top computer.
What the man didn't know, was that the homeowners had surveillance cameras set up on the front porch and inside their home that captured the entire event, police said.
Ocean Township police have released those videos and are asking for help from the public in identifying the thief, who was wearing a gray T-shirt, blue jeans and a red baseball cap.
Police say the incident occurred at 10:28 a.m.in the Wanamassa section of town, said Detective Lt. Timothy Torchia.
In the videos, the burglar is seen knocking on the front door, checking the mailbox and peering into the two lower windows on the porch. The suspect goes off camera for about 15 seconds but then returns, possibly carrying a tool hidden under his shirt.
He is seen prying open the window farthest from the camera.
In the second video, the man is seen wandering through the front of the house while two dogs look on. It appears he takes a laptop computer and wipes the knob of the front door with his shirt before leaving through the window.
Anyone with information about the incident or the suspect can call Ocean Township police at 732-531-1800 or Ocean Township detectives at 732-531-1428. Members of the public can also report tips anonymously by calling 732-531-3323 or they can send an email to CrimeTips@oceantwp.org
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.