Crime

History was made at the Jan. 24 Township Council meeting during the swearing-in of new police officers. One of the new officers is Matthew Russo, son of recently retired Lt. Darrin Russo. This marks the first time in Franklin that a 30-year veteran retired and his son was hired within a year, said Chief of Police Lawrence Roberts.

Jan. 12 Someone threw a brick through the front of window of De Island Breez on Franklin Boulevard and stole a cash register containing $100 in cash. The register was valued at $250. Jan. 13

Police are searching for two armed men who they say forced a township man to withdraw money from a bank ATM before stealing his car. Police said the man, a Van Cleef Road resident, told them he’d arrived at his house at around 11 p.m. Jan. 16 when he was approached by two men armed with handguns. The men forced …

There were no injuries in a late-night fire Jan. 16 in a Hillcrest Avenue home, but it did chase out the home’s two residents. Police said that the fire was reported shortly before 11 p.m. and that when police arrived, they saw heavy smoke coming from the home.

The township Police Department has not yet finished its research into whether it would be feasible to equip officers with body worn cameras. Police Chief Lawrence Roberts has said he is taking a slow approach to the program, mainly to make sure it’s financially feasible, in light of the “back end” costs associated with such a program.

Jan. 3 Someone removed a porcelain horse from the living room of a Bob Franks Way resident. The statue was valued at $100. Jan. 6

Dec. 27 Mohammad Emad of Somerset was cited for driving an unregistered vehicle after he was involved in a collision at Easton Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Emad said he was traveling through the intersection when his car collided with one driven by Carol Parker of Somerset. Parker said she had the green light. Jeffrey Wells of Plainsboro was …

A 19-year-old township man has been charged with the Jan. 4 attempted burglary of a Cheshire Court home. Edward A. Rowe Jr. was charged with 3rd Degree Attempted Burglary and Criminal Mischief, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

Update: A 31-year-old man was injured in a shooting on Dewald Avenue the evening of Jan. 3, according to teh Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. The man, who was not identified, was found outside a Dewald Ave home with a non-life-threatening gunshot to one leg, according to a press release from the prosecutor.