Mountainside Police Nab Suspect in Commercial Burglaries

arrested Abdurrahe A. Akbar, who was wanted for three commercial burglaries in their jurisdiction, on March 20.

Detectives Michael Jackson and Thomas Norton identified Akbar, 52, of East Orange, as a suspect in the commercial burglaries after their investigation revealed video of the suspect and his vehicle during the burglaries. One victim had her pocket book removed from her office and her credit cards were used within a half hour at the Wal-Mart in Watchung to purchase a flat screen Television.

The investigation also revealed that Akbar is a suspect in similar commercial burglaries that occurred in eight other communities in Union, Morris, Monmouth and Somerset counties. Those communities include Cranford, East Hanover, Bridgewater, Warren Township, Parsippany Troy Hills and Middletown Township. During those burglaries, laptop computers, cases of wine, power tools, iPhones and cash were taken.

Mountainside Police Captain Richard Osieja said Detectives Jackson and Norton were able to track Akbar to the Newark/Irvington area by parking tickets his vehicle recently received.

There are several pawnshops in the Newark/Irvington area and the detectives were looking for the suspect’s vehicle in that area. During that time, they spotted Akbar walking on South Orange Avenue, Oseija said. The detectives followed him from Newark into Irvington where they arrested him and took him into custody without incident as he was entering his van at an auto repair shop.

The detectives obtained a search warrant for the vehicle. During the search, the detectives found clothing worn in several of the burglaries, including a robbery at a commercial building in Cranford where a laptop was taken and the victim was assaulted.

“If it were not for the diligent old fashioned police work performed by these two detectives, I don’t think Mr. Akbar would be in custody right now,” Oseija told Patch.

Akbar is currently in Union County Jail with a $300,000 bail requirement. He is charged with three counts of burglary and theft, receiving stolen property, identity theft and credit card fraud.