Would-be burglary suspect charged after brief chase at E. Bruns. hotel

EAST BRUNSWICK - A New Brunswick man was arrested on burglary charges Saturday after a police officer found him inside a vehicle with his legs sticking out the driver's window, according to police.

The arrest was made at 12:36 a.m. in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express on Naricon Place. East Brunswick Patrolman Dan Unkel was patrolling the lot when he observed a man's legs hanging out the window of a silver Jeep Cherokee. The officer also found broken glass on the ground around the vehicle.

When Unkel ordered the man, later identified as Anthony J. Najarro, 18, out of the Jeep and onto the ground, Najarro exited the Jeep and fled on foot toward the Tower Center office complex. The suspect continued to run toward the loading dock area, where the officer was able to take him into custody as he attempted to gain entry into a stairwell, according to police.

While running, the suspect dropped a pair of Rayban sunglasses valued at $165 and a Garmin Streetpilot GPS unit valued at $500, police said. The property dropped was later identified by the Jeep's owner, a resident of Burlington, Mass., who was staying at the Holiday Inn Express.

Najarro was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, theft, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest. Bail was set at $10,000, and he was transported to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick.

Police believe that two other suspects may have been involved and were nearby at the time of the arrest, but that they fled the scene.

When first entering the hotel parking lot, Unkel had seen a dark, four-door vehicle parked on Naricon Place with a black male in the driver's seat. The officer also noticed a second black male walking from the front of the hotel to the dark-colored vehicle on Naricon Place.

However, the vehicle left the area while the officer was chasing the suspect who had run.