On 04-10-2014, the Springfield Police assisted by Manalapan Police
apprended an indivdual who had committed a burglary to, and the
theft from, a home located in Springfield. Shawn Mayerik, age 37,
who had resided in Fanwood but is currently residing in Manalapan,
was located and arrested without incident at 6:00 pm.

On 03-24-2014, residents of Garden Oval in Springfield reported
a burglary had been committed at their house sometime during
the day.The thief entered by breaking a rear ground floor window
and subsequently searched the second floor bedrooms. Jewelry
valued in excess of $2000 and prescription narcotics were stolen.

Springfield Police Detective James Mirabile and Detective Anthony
Voorhees conducted the burglary investigation and were able to
locate multiple homes in the area of the burglarized house where
the homeowners had exterior video surveillance cameras. These
cameras yielded video showing a vehicle park in the driveway of
the targeted house and the burglar, later identified as Mayerik,
going to the rear of the home at 3:30 pm on 03-24-2014.

On a hunch the detectives checked the surveillance camera located
at the red light camera intersection of nearby Morris Avenue and
Maple Avenue for the time period around 3:30 pm and the same
vehicle was observed and identified. The owner of the vehicle, who
had nothing to do with the crime, was contacted and Mayerik was
identified as the suspect who was inside of the vehicle at 3:30 pm.

Statewide police alerts were issued and this resulted in Scotch Plains
PD detectives contacting Springfield PD to report that they too had
an active warrant for the arrest of Mayerik for the charge of burglary.
On 04-10-2014, Detective Mirabile and Officer Ryan Westover went
to Manalapan to arrest Mayerik and bring him back to Springfield.

Mayerik was charged with the 3rd degree crimes of Burglary, Theft of
Movable Property (in excess of $500) and Theft of Controlled Dangerous
Substance (the prescription narcotic medication) as well as a charge of
Criminal Mischief for breaking a window at the house and an interior door.
He was further arrested for the burglary warrant issued by Scotch Plains PD.

He has been remanded to the Union County Jail in Elizabeth in lieu of bail
in the amount of $100,000 and has an initial court appearance date in the
Union County Superior Court on Friday 04-25-2014.

According to Chief of Police John Cook..."when house burglaries occur one
follow-up procedure has always been for officers to speak with neighbors
to see if they had seen anyone in the area of the crime. Nowadays the
detectives drive about the area looking for homes with external cameras
that may capture images of a suspect or a motor vehicle used by a suspect.
This case highlights how the blending of old fashioned detective work with
newer digital technology along with the aid of town residents who turned
over their camera images can solve what initially was an unwitnessed and
covert crime committed by an unknown individual".
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