A burglary suspect, who police said masqueraded as an itinerant plumber in Berkeley Township, is charged with burglarizing homes he visited.

Berkeley Township police cruiser
Berkeley Township police cruiser (Facebook)
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Michael D'Authorio, 30, faces extensive drug charges in addition to theft-related counts, according to Berkeley Township police.

Officers, on December 1, responded to a report of a burglary in an occupied home on Guadaloupe Drive. They were told of a plumber soliciting work door-to-door. Police said he forced his way into empty houses.

Berkeley and Lacey Township police credit keen-eyed neighbors in helping them quickly identify D'Autorio as the suspect who allegedly ransacked the house for valuables, and grabbed a wallet and credit cards from a nearby unlocked vehicle.

Police seized D'Autorio's 2005 BMW, and what they described as "a large amount" of cash.

He was charged with two counts of burglary at Berkeley Township Police Headquarters, and was released after meeting terms of $5,000 full bail.

Less than a week later, on December 7, Berkeley investigators obtained a search warrant for the car. They reported finding artifacts of the original burglary and various narcotics not prescribed to him.

D'Autorio is now also charged with possession of Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Alprazolam, and Codeine, theft of items from the first burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

This time, D'Autorio was remanded to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, with bail set at $30,000.

Berkeley police remind residents to stay alert for suspicious activity, and to report sightings to their confidential tip line, 732-341-1132, ext. 611.

Charges are accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until, found guilty in a court of law.

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