Vigilant neighbors thwart midafternoon burglary Witnesses saw intruders inside neighbor's house BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer The keen eyes of a Menlo Park Terrace mother and son helped police foil a burglary in their neighborhood recently. "I saw a group of men on our neighbor's porch and near the hedges of the home," said Danny LePore, 15, a 10th-grader at John F. Kennedy High School in Iselin. "I knew my neighbors didn't know the guys. They just looked like they were up to no good." The burglary took place at a Hudson Street residence at 1:42 p.m. Oct. 2, police said. Doreen LePore said she had just picked up Danny from school because he was not feeling well. "We decided to go inside and watch from inside, and if anything happened we would call the police," said Doreen. Police were called, and the LePores watched as police descended upon their neighborhood. "It looked like there was about 40 cops that came," said Danny. While Danny and his mother waited for police, Danny said he rode his bike over to get the suspect's license plate number. "We were feeding information to the dispatcher on the phone," said Doreen. "I looked at the front window and saw one of the suspects in the window, then the curtains moved," said Danny. "We saw the suspects jump over the back fence." The LePores described to police four suspects - two black males, one approximately 20 years with shoulder-length dreadlocks and wearing a white sleeveless T-shirt and baggy blue jeans, and the other wearing baggy blue jeans; a white male approximately 20 years old wearing a red baseball cap with a straight brim and baggy blue jeans; and another approximately 20-year-old male who was possibly white or Hispanic. The LePores said they observed the suspects get out of a silver Nissan parked in front of their neighbor's home. They saw the suspects knock on the door and then knock on their other neighbor's door, the police report said. Police arrested Jaquan M. Turner, 20, of Broad Street in Hillside, at the scene and charged him with burglary and theft, police said. The second suspect turned himself in to police at 7 p.m. Oct. 3. Michael D. Preguica, 19, of Winchester Avenue in Union, was charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary and theft, police said. When police were dispatched to the Hudson Street address, they were told that suspects were observed inside the residence. When units arrived on the scene, the suspects jumped over the fence in the backyard and fled toward a school [Menlo Park Terrace Elementary School No. 19], the police report said. While police waited for the Edison K-9 unit, neighbors alerted police that one of the suspects [Turner] was walking up Stoneybrook Drive. Police stopped Turner, and observed that his pants were wet and muddy. When police asked Turner why his pants were wet and muddy, he told police that he had been playing football that day, the police report said. Police observed and felt a bulge in Turner's rear pocket and asked him what the bulge was, according to the report. Turner stated that it was nothing, and that he was just going to a friend's house (he pointed up Stonybrook Drive), the police report said. Police then removed an iPod and a pair of rubber gloves from Turner's rear pocket. When asked what the gloves were used for, Turner told police that he used the gloves for work, according to the police report. Police also removed two cell phones and some change, including a Filipino coin, from Turner, the police report said. After police arrested Turner, they tracked the area with the Edison K-9 unit. The K-9 unit's tracking helped police find a portable DVD player outside the resident's fence, a jar of change and jewelry near the parkway, and a Sony Handycam, which was along the stream at the end of Hudson Street, the police report said. The K-9 unit tracked two locations - one where police detained Turner and the other farther down stream, the police report said. Turner was held on $50,000 bail with no 10 percent option, and Preguica was held on $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option. They were both transported to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick. Danny said he has been receiving thanks from his neighbors. "I wasn't nervous, and during that time I forgot that I was not feeling good," said Danny. "My classmates wanted to know what happened, and some didn't believe me. The only thing that was annoying was telling what I saw 30 times to the cops." The LePores said the neighbors in Menlo Park Terrace look out for one another. "We live in such a small area," said Doreen. "When we go out, we know our neighbors will keep an eye out for us." Deputy Police Chief Philip DiNicola said it was very important that the citizens and police work together to keep the community safe. "Their eyes and ears are important to our department," he said. "However, it's important that citizens don't put themselves in any physical danger. It should be called into headquarters by phone, like this case was reported." There were other burglary and thefts that occurred in the neighborhood; however, police said they are still investigating the burglary and thefts to see if they are connected. "The matter is still under investigation," said DiNicola.