Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of Travis Villalobos, 31, of West New York; Matthew Gale, 40, of East Rutherford and Richard Murphy, 31, of Jersey City on charges of Burglary, Conspiracy to Commit Burglary, Theft by Unlawful Taking, Receiving Stolen Property, and Criminal Mischief.
These arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Cliffside Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Marc Marano.
According to county officials, during the night of January 16, the Cliffside Park Police Department recovered a stolen vehicle from the area of Palisade Avenue and Laird Place. On January 17, a resident of Washington Place reported a burglary to his home involving an estimated loss of approximately three million dollars in U.S. currency and jewelry.
Officials said that the Cliffside Park Police Department reviewed area surveillance footage and tied the stolen vehicle to the burglary.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad then conducted a five-month-long investigation which led to the arrests of Gale, Murphy, and Villalobos.
According to officials, on May 19, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team and the Cliffside Park Police Department executed a search warrant on Gale’s residence. Gale was placed under arrest without incident and was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a court appearance.
Officials said, on May 24, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Cliffside Park Police Department, and the Broward County Sheriff’s Department in Florida executed a search warrant on Villalobo’s residence.
Villalobo, Gale and Murphy were each charged with one count of Theft By Unlawful Taking, two counts of Burglary, one count of Conspiracy To Commit Burglary, one count of Receiving Stolen Property and one count of Criminal Mischief.
Villalobo is currently incarcerated in Florida, and Murphy is currently incarcerated in the Hudson County Jail. Each was charged and a detainer was filed on both individuals.