Princeton Man Arrested for Stealing Truck in South Brunswick

South Brunswick PoliceA 24-year-old Princeton man was pulled over by a South Brunswick police officer as he was leaving the scene of a burglary on Route 1 early Sunday morning. Officer Gagan Chopra was on Route 1 south at 2:20 a.m. when he observed a Gold Ford F150 pull out of MJ’s Auto Repairs and Sales at 3713 Route 1. The business was closed and appeared dark. Chopra stopped the pickup and questioned the driver, Ramiro Fajardo, about where he was coming from. Fajardo said his license was suspended and he was borrowing the truck and the tools from MJ’s Auto Repairs. He told the officer that he knew the manager and it was not a problem.

Fajardo
Fajardo

Two other officers arrived and found two tires stacked up at the rear of the business and a rear window smashed out. An investigation revealed that Fajardo had broken into the business and stolen the pickup truck moments before being stopped by Chopra. Fajardo was charged with burglary, theft, and possession of burglary tools. He was lodged on $30,000 bail.

Police Chief Raymond Hayducka praised Chopra for being an alert officer and preventing the theft.