Armed Home Invaders Sought in Bernardsville Incident

Two armed males broke into a Bernardsville residence on Ballantine Road on Wednesday night, but fled when they encountered the homeowner, authorities said.

No one was injured during the home invasion, according to a statement released Thursday from Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano.

The prosecutor's office said Bernardsville police responded to a 911 call from a resident reporting a home invasion on Ballantine Road at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The male homeowner told police after he heard the front door being forced open, he observed two white males holding handguns at the top of a staircase within the residence, the release said.

Once the men encountered the homeowner, they fled from the residence in an unknown direction, according to the release.

The major crimes unit of the Somerset County Prosecutor's office was notified after the police call to the location, Bernardsville police confirmed. The home is on a street off Mendham Road in the northern section of Bernardsville.

$5K reward offered

Soriano said Crime Stoppers of Somerset County, Inc. is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individuals involved.

The first man is described as being white, between the ages of 20 to 30, approximately 5-foot-10 and weighing approximately 175 pounds. He was wearing a brown ski hat, tan zip-up turtleneck sweater and khaki pants, authorities said.

The release describes the second individual as a white male, in his 20s, also wearing a brown ski hat.  

The prosecutor, in conjunction with Bernardsville Police Chief Kevin Valentine and county Prosecutor's Office Chief of Detectives Stuart Buckman said Bernardsville Police were assisted by the Peapack-Gladstone, Far Hills, and Bernards Township, the release said.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and the New Jersey State Police Aviator Unit also responded and assisted detectives assigned to the Bernardsville police department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Squad, the release said. The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Scene Investigations (C.S.I.) and forensics unit also responded to conduct the investigation, the prosecutor said.

Authorities are asking that anyone who may have observed someone matching the description of the two suspects in the area either before or after the incident should contact the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS(8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE.”  All calls are confidential, according to the prosecutor's office.