Sketch Released of Man Wanted for Home Invasion

A composite sketch has been released of one of the two armed men who broke into a Bernardsville home on Ballantine Road Wednesday night, but fled when encountered by the homeowner, authorities said.

The sketch was released Friday afternoon by Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Detectives Stuart A. Buckman and Bernardsville Police Kevin Valentine.

No one was injured during the home invasion, according to a statement released Thursday from Soriano.

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.

One 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's office said Thursday Bernardsville police had 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.

Police from Bernards Township, Peapack-Gladstone and Far Hills assisted with the response, the release said on Thursday.

Anyone who may have observed any individuals 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.