One of the more common varieties of burglary is a car break-in. This can be confusing as lay people often equate burglary with home invasion. This is not the case in actuality as the unauthorized entry into any “structure” for purposes of committing a crime suffices. The law considers a car to be a structure for purposes of the burglary statute – N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2.
A good example of how this law functions occurred this week in Summit. In this regard, a Newark man was charged with burglary and theft for allegedly breaking into at least 8 cars in town. The primary items stolen from the vehicles were ipod and similar electronic equipment. The suspect’s bail has been set at $10,000.
As I stated, cars are popular targets for thefts and burglary. We find this pedigree of crime to be frequently committed by juveniles and young adults, although we do have occasion to represent individuals of all ages on these charges. Thankfully, these are typically non-violent crimes and are generally on the low end in terms of seriousness.
