SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J.
Old Bridge residents found themselves in the spotlight one again as yet another home invasion targeting the growing Indian-American residents in the township was reported this past weekend. Armed men entered a home Nov. 29, tied up the residents and stole cash and jewelry. It’s the fifth home invasion in Middlesex County since Oct. 20, and the third in Old Bridge, all of them following a now-familiar pattern.
The invaders fled with an undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry, a press release from Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey’s office said. They broke into the home at 7:20 p.m.; police were alerted at 8:51 p.m., the press release said.
Earlier armed burglars targeted homes in Old Bridge on Oct. 20 and Oct. 26, a South Plainfield home on Oct. 28, and an Edison home on Oct. 30. No arrests have been made, but an investigation is active and is continuing with assistance from the State Police, the FBI and the Edison, South Plainfield and Old Bridge police departments, the press release said.
Jim O’Neill, public information officer at the prosecutor’s office told Desi Talk that he could not comment on whether the five incidents are related. Neither did he disclose the number of invaders or whether anyone was injured in the Nov. 30 incident.
Indian-Americans in the county say they are concerned with the invasions, and the reoccurrence after a lull, following a similar pattern is alarming. Peter Kothari, president and founder of the Edison-based Indo-American Cultural Society, said that patience is wearing thin. “We are scared,” he added. The feeling that the community is under attack once more, making resident feel vulnerable and violated.
“People are very concerned,” Kothari told Desi Talk after the Oct. 30 Edison home invasion, days after Diwali. Many said the community is known to keep cash and gold at home, and hence is being targeted. “When a particular community is targeted, it’s very, very dangerous,” he said. Although the community has been subjected to break-ins and robberies in the past, these four incidents “were very different … People have been hurt here, which takes the matter to an altogether new level,” Kothari said.
There are approximately 150,000 Indian-Americans in Central Jersey, which
includes all of Middlesex County and parts of Mercer, Monmouth and Somerset counties.
Meanwhile, Carey advised residents to be vigilant, watch neighbors’ homes and call police regarding any suspicious activity. He also advised residents to make certain their homes are secure.
Similar advices were given at a Nov. 5 Town Hall meeting in Edison where township residents flocked to get answers from the authorities. Among those in attendance was Rajesh Singh, the most recent victim of a home invasion. It was the first home invasion robbery in Edison since 2012, police said, and it is threatening Singh’s firmly held sense of security living in Edison. “They certainly took away our freedom. It’s different now,” Singh told The Star Ledger.
More than 300 Middlesex County residents attended a seminar held Nov. 12 at the TV Asia Studios in Edison which demonstrated how law enforcement and community groups can work together to achieve positive results for the public.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey, and police chiefs from Edison, South Plainfield and Old Bridge attended the event and discussed several initiatives with residents. Police chiefs discussed the use of Auxiliary forces and the increase of Neighborhood Watch programs.
Attendees also heard from a panel of experts on ways to minimize the risk of being victimized like banking, home insurance and home security systems.
Apart from the recent spate of home invasions, the Indian-American community in Old Bridge has had to deal with the similar emotions of sorrow, anger and fear of ethnic persecution when Divyendu Sinha, a 49-year-old scientist and professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, was savagely beaten to death outside his home in June 2010.
On June 25, 2010, Sinha, was taking a late-night walk with his two sons and wife when he was accosted by four local teenagers – Steven Contreras, Christopher Conway, Julian Daley, Cash Johnson, and Christian Tinli – who attacked Sinha. His two sons also received minor bruises, while his wife, Alka, was not harmed.
Steven Contreras, the last remaining defendant in Sinha’s fatal beating was sentenced to 12 years behind bars in April this year for his role in the unprovoked assault nearly four years ago. Conway was sentenced to a seven-year prison term last year, while Johnson and Tinli received six months each for the minor assaults on Sinha’s sons. Daley was sentenced in November 2013 to 15 years behind bars.