Resident 'Frightened Off' Burglar, Police Say

The owner of a Fair Lawn Avenue condo “frightened off” a burglar Wednesday afternoon, police say.

Fair Lawn police officers responded at approximately 2:00 pm after the owner came home to find the residence had been broken into, in an apparent burglary in progress.

“Apparently the burglar looked out the window or the door, saw the homeowner coming home, and ran out the house, so there was no confrontation,” police chief Erik Rose told Patch.

Burglaries have been on an upward trend since 2009, and although Rose says there have been relatively few in recent months, typically the department sees an uptick in the winter.

“The colder weather is burglary season, because in the summertime people are out and about, so [burglars] are more likely to see people,” he said. “When it gets colder, it’s easier for burglars because people are not out and windows are closed so people hear less.”

Although there is no indication that the incident is part of a larger string of crimes, residents may want to take extra precautions in securing their homes for the remainder of the winter months.

“Anywhere you live, regrettably there are burglaries because when you have occupied homes or even occupied homes, there are people willing to break into a house and steal something,” Rose said.

Police, who evaluated the crime scene, are still looking for a suspect and investigating how the burglar broke into the home.