A 42-year-old Paterson man was arrested and charged with burglary Wednesday evening.
According to officials, last night, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Officer Michael Warnet was patrolling the area of Warren Street, when he observed a suspicious male walking in the area.
Officials say with approximately fifteen vehicle burglaries reported in that area during the past few weeks, Samuel Padilla, 42, of Paterson, was detained for further investigation.
During the course of the investigation, Padilla was found in possession of multiple knives, earbuds, cellular phones, LED lights, sunglasses, and jewelry. Also located on his person were tools commonly utilized to gain entry into vehicles, as well as drug paraphernalia (crack pipes and a hypodermic needle).
In anticipation of locating additional evidence, officers checked the area and eventually located a vehicle that had been recently burglarized.
The suspect was determined to have an outstanding warrant for his arrest from another jurisdiction. Based on this circumstance, as well as the probability that the aforementioned items were in fact proceeds of recent vehicle burglaries, the suspect was placed under arrest.
Police subsequently charged Padilla with Burglary, Possession of Burglar Tools, and drug-related charges.
Detectives are currently in the process of determining the origin of the items recovered, as well as his potential culpability in the ongoing string of burglaries.