3 Homes Targets in 3-Hour Burglary Spree

Two burglaries and an attempted burglary were reported in less than three hours midday Monday in Montclair, police said.

A resident of the 10 block of Montclair Avenue told police at 11:05 a.m. that a neighbor saw a man taking items from his garbage cans about an hour earlier. 

The victim said five cans filled with copper and brass were stolen. The scrap metal is valued at approximately $1,000. 

A resident of the 10 block of Wellesley Road told police just after noon Monday that she came home and found a backpack on a back deck that did not belong to anyone in her family. She said she left the house and called police.

When police arrived, they surrounded the house and checked the inside for an intruder, but the house was empty, police said. Fresh pry marks were found on a back door. No items were reported missing, according to the police report. 

A homeowner on the 60 block of Bellevue Avenue reported an attempted burglary at about 1:25 p.m. Monday. The victim told police he came home at about 12:45 p.m. and found a man walking out from behind his house. 

The man approached him and asked if he needed help with snow removal this winter. The resident said no and the guy took off before he noticed fresh pry marks on his front door. 

The man was described as a white, 35 to 45 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall, wearing a black puffy jacket and a dark wool knit hat, police said.