Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced today the arrest of a founding member of a group of residential burglars formerly referred to as the “James Bond Gang,” Bruce Anderson, 48, of Jamaica, New York, in relation to a series of high-end residential burglaries that took place over a six month period throughout northern New Jersey.
The investigation, which began in February 2014, was conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad under the direction of Chief Carmen Martino.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of several actors in November 2014. As a result of the on-going investigation Bruce Anderson was arrested on Tuesday, September 1, 2015. Prosecutor Molinelli also announced today the unsealing of a twenty-four (24) count indictment in Bergen County Superior Court against six (6) defendants tied to the burglary and trafficking of stolen property operation.
In February 2014, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad initiated an investigation following a series of residential burglaries in and around Bergen County.
The investigation revealed that over the course of the several months more than two dozen residential burglaries in Bergen, Morris and Somerset Counties had many similarities and were identical in the manner by which they were carried out.
For instance, the burglars generally targeted high-end residences located in affluent neighborhoods. These residences were likely selected due to their size, the presence of expensive vehicles in the driveway and the appearance that the residences were unoccupied at the time of the burglary. The residences were also located in or adjacent to a cul-de-sac and attacked on weekdays in the early evening hours. Entry to the residences was often gained by forcing open the front doors.
Once inside the residence the burglars proceeded to the master bedrooms and removed jewelry, cash and other property. In most of the incidents, pillow cases were taken from the residences and used to transport the stolen property.
As detectives continued to develop additional information about these crimes, they shared this information with local law enforcement. The investigation further revealed that the burglars would often utilize higher-end rental vehicles during the commission of the burglaries presumably to blend into the communities they were targeting. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the burglars took the stolen property to New York and sold it to a “fence” who paid large amounts of cash for it. The “fence” primarily used by this group was identified as David Tadjiev of, Queens, NY, who operates a jewelry business in the Manhattan’s “Diamond District”.
On November 6, 2014, while surveilling Singletary, detectives observed him in Teaneck, entering a vehicle occupied by Lawal Erskine and Jamaal.
The vehicle was then tracked from Teaneck directly to Somerset County. While in Somerset County investigators later confirmed that the aforementioned individuals committed two residential burglaries in Warren and Bridgewater, Somerset County, New Jersey.
Detectives then tracked the individuals and their vehicle as it traveled back into Bergen County and stopped in a housing development in Englewood, New Jersey. While in Englewood, task force members observed an individual discard items into a dumpster that were later retrieved following execution of court authorized search warrants. Detectives positively confirmed that the discarded items were stolen from the Warren and Bridgewater burglaries.
Soon thereafter, Singletary, Erskine and Sermon returned to their vehicle and drove directly to Astoria, Queens, New York where they met their “fence,” David Tadijev, at his residence. Detectives continued to track the vehicle while members of the Harrison, (New York) Police Department and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office maintained physical surveillance on Tadjiev's residence.
Upon arriving at his residence, Singletary and Erskine proceeded directly into Tadjiev's apartment with the stolen jewelry from the Warren and Bridgewater burglaries, while Sermon waited outside.
Subsequently, detectives, with the assistance of the New York City Police Department, executed a court authorized search warrant on Tadjiev's residence.
During the course of the execution of the search warrant, stolen property from the Warren and Bridgewater burglaries, as well as other burglaries referenced in the indictment, was recovered, including a substantial amount jewelry.
Following the arrests and search warrants in New York, court authorized search warrants were executed at a number of locations in New Jersey, including the residences of the burglars, as well as the dumpster in Englewood, New Jersey. During the execution of these search warrants, a loaded handgun containing hollow point bullets was recovered at the residence of Sermon. Additionally, a significant amount of suspected cocaine was recovered at the residence of Singletary, which he shared with co-defendant Janay Cole, of Teaneck and her minor child. As a result of the search warrants executed in New York and New Jersey, a substantial amount of items were recovered.
Over the next several months, investigators continued to investigate this group and developed additional evidence about other residential burglaries they committed over a period of several months. In all, the indictment unsealed today identified over two dozen residential burglaries that this crew is directly responsible for committing.
On Tuesday, September 1, 2015, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and New York City Police Department arrested Bruce Anderson at his residence in Queens, New York.
At this time, all three are currently lodged in the Bergen County Jail.
Anderson is awaiting extradition from New York. Cole and Sermon have been released on bail.