MILLSTONE – Three male juveniles who live in a group home in Millstone Township are facing charges in connection with a series of vehicle burglaries in the municipality.
The juveniles were arrested by the New Jersey State Police on July 2, according to Trooper Alejandro Goez, and were subsequently charged with burglary and theft.
The juveniles were confirmed as being residents of a group home by members of the Township Committee at a July 5 meeting.
At that time, committee members said between 20 and 25 vehicles were reported as having been burglarized and each incident was described as being non-violent in nature. There were no reported break-ins; the perpetrators allegedly stole items from unlocked vehicles and from vehicles which had open windows.
There are three group homes in Millstone Township, according to the committee, which are operated by a third party and mandated by the state.
Group homes in Millstone, including the one at which the three accused juveniles reside, are operated by New Jersey Mentor. Representatives of New Jersey Mentor appeared before elected officials and residents at the July 19 committee meeting.
New Jersey Mentor Executive Director Joanne Kirk said the group homes serve juveniles who have complex trauma, such as family fragmentation, abuse and/or neglect, behavior of runaways and self-mutilation and/or self-harm.
The group home where the three juveniles reside was established in December 2016. It serves male juveniles between the ages of 14 and 17, according to Patrick Mulligan of New Jersey Mentor.
Juveniles can reside in a group home for between six and eight months, although Sean Bessasparis of New Jersey Mentor said an individual may be permitted to stay for 10 months under certain conditions.
According to Kirk, in the recent Millstone incidents, the juveniles left the group home after running past staff members late at night. The home’s alarm was triggered and staff members followed the boys in a van, but lost sight of them in a dark neighborhood. Police were called after the staff members lost sight of the juveniles.
In the wake of the incident and as an increased security measure, a staff member will now be stationed near the door of the home, and after 9 p.m., residents will not be allowed on the first floor of the home, according to Kirk.
Staff members at the group home are not authorized to take down a juvenile because doing so could risk injury, according to Kirk.
When asked if the three juveniles who have been accused in connection with the vehicle burglaries in the community will continue to live at the group home, Kirk said their status at the facility is a court matter.
According to the representatives of New Jersey Mentor, the three young men are currently performing community service at a food bank in Trenton.
The agency’s representatives said they will try to find areas in Millstone where community service can be performed after residents asked that the juveniles provide such service to the township.
