South Brunswick police have solved a 14-month-old burglary case using crime scene processing and modern day forensics.
On May 7, 2017, the owner of Crossroads Nursery, located at 981 Georges Road, Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick, arrived to find his front glass door smashed, according to information provided by the South Brunswick Police Department. Inside the business, the cash register was found pried open on the floor with the cash stolen.
Evidence Technician Officer Salvatore Fama located blood on some of the broken pieces of glass, according to reports. Officers recovered several latent fingerprints from the scene as well as surveillance video from inside the business showing the crime.
Detectives circulated still pictures from the surveillance video but no one was able to identify the suspect. On July 12, South Brunswick Detective Eric Tighelaar received notification from the New Jersey State Police Forensic Section advising the blood recovered from the crime scene matched a crime scene in Evansville, Indiana, from April, according to the statement. Both matches came back to Salvador Roman, 42, who has connections to the New Brunswick area.
Tighelaar learned that Roman allegedly had been in the New Brunswick area last year and used an alias Salvador Roman-Gonzales. Detectives believe he may still be in the Midwest but his connections to Central New Jersey may bring him back.
A judge has issued a warrant charging Roman with burglary, theft and criminal mischief, according to the statement.
South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said, “Our crime scene processing linked our case to a city 830 miles away. While the suspect may have believed he got away with his crime, modern day forensics proved him wrong. We will continue to work with our county, state, and federal partners to track him down.”
Police have identified Roman as the suspect. He is 5-foot 3-inches, weighs about 150 pounds, and was born on June 25, 1975. He has connections to Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick.
Anyone with information should call Tighelaar at 732-329-4646.
