Two men from Manalapan arrested for 20 car burglaries in Monmouth

The ongoing car burglary spree across the state of New Jersey has been like a game of whack a mole, one spree stops, and another several picks up.

Police departments and other local and state law enforcement agencies have been pleading with drivers and residents for months and years to keep their cars locked and bring in and store away valuables -- give nobody any reason to steal your vehicle or what's inside of it.

Still, many leave their vehicles unlocked and we've heard several times of thieves tugging on car handles to see which ones they can steal and drive away in.

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry and the Middletown Township Committee, Monmouth County State Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, Shrewsbury Mayor Erik Anderson, and others held a press conference on Tuesday morning ahead of this arrest announcement to address the ongoing problem with vehicle burglaries at the Jersey Shore and beyond.

There looks to be legislation in the works to address this in the short and long term as well in New Jersey.

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The arrest announced by New Jersey State Police on Tuesday is of 38-year-old Michael Guzman and 27-year-old David Voight, both of Manalapan, for their roles in 20 vehicles that were burglarized across Monmouth County recently.

NJSP troopers from Troop “C” Hamilton Station said that they investigated multiple car burglaries in Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township during the month of April and came to discover that 20 vehicles were burglarized in the area and various items were stolen.

During the course of their investigation, police received surveillance footage from a residence that captured the two men burglarizing vehicles.

Guzman and Voight were eventually identified as the suspects and were both arrested and charged with burglary and theft and were then brought to the Monmouth County Correctional Facility.

State Police also said that during their investigation, they executed a search warrant at the residence in Manalapan along with Voight’s vehicle and found numerous items linked to the burglaries.

The stolen items will be returned to the victims, police said.

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