Cape May police posted this photo of a burglary suspect on their Facebook page. Vito Anderson, of Pleasantville, has been charged with the crime.
Cape May police have charged a suspected burglar who has already been implicated in dozens of residential and business break-ins in four New Jersey counties.
Vito Anderson, 40, of Pleasantville, was charged with burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools and criminal mischief for allegedly breaking into a business on the 400 block of Washington Street on March 5, police announced in a news release Tuesday.
Video surveillance was obtained of the suspect entering the business through a locked back door. The name of the business was not disclosed in the release.
Police said Anderson used the same burglary tools to enter the building and to destroy the drawer of a cash register to steal the cash inside.
Cape May police detectives identified Anderson as a suspect after an investigation revealed he had allegedly committed a series of similar burglaries in Brigantine, Pleasantville and Northfield in Atlantic County and Long Beach Township in Ocean County.
“While comparing video surveillance, Anderson was found to use the same clothing to include unique sneakers, a ‘Shystie’ face covering and gloves to conceal his identity, which Anderson was still in possession of at the time of arrest,” according to the release.
Authorities have confirmed that Anderson is facing at least 73 charges in Atlantic, Cape May, Camden and Ocean counties. The allegations paint the picture of a prolific career burglar.
Anderson was ordered held in jail during a court appearance last Friday in Atlantic County Superior Court.
Prior to being held in custody in Atlantic County, Anderson had been released from jail in Camden County and has several cases pending in Cape May County’s Mental Health Court.
Atlantic County Superior Court Judge William Miller ordered Anderson to be held in jail to both protect the community and to get him help in Mental Health Court.
Anderson’s history includes life in foster care, abuse, mental illness and homelessness, according to details presented at his detention hearing on Friday.
“If anyone has a soul, they can see he’s suffering,” Miller said during the hearing. “The court is very mindful that a lot of this is probably coming from his mental health deficits.”
Miller said that Anderson’s records would note that Mental Health Court needs to institute a more intensive treatment program for Anderson.
Anderson is accused of burglarizing businesses and homes in Atlantic, Cape May, Camden and Ocean counties in a string of break-ins totaling thousands of dollars in cash and damages. There also are allegations of sexually gratifying himself in public.
BreakingAC reporter Lynda Cohen contributed to this report.
