This past Tuesday, a Montclair woman was up early at 6:30 a.m. getting ready for work. She opened up her jewelry box, crammed full with a collection of pricey bling, and selected a pair of earrings. When she returned home at 6:30 p.m., she went up to her second floor bedroom and found the jewelry box – empty.
Montclair Police say the woman, who lives on Overlook Road, reported the burglary and provided a long, detailed list of missing earrings, rings, and necklaces with a total value of $8,500.
The woman told police she is having work done on the exterior of the house by a contractor from East Orange (name withheld by police), and a crew of five were at work the day of the burglary.
Police say the husband was home during the day, and left the rear door unlocked so workmen could use the basement bathroom. The husband left for 30 minutes at around 11:30 a.m. to do an errand, leaving the rear door unlocked.
The homeowner contacted the contractor to report the theft. The contractor told her he spoke with his workers, and according to the police report “no one claimed responsibility.”
Police asked the contractor to supply an information list for all the workers on the property, which was delivered the following day. The information was incomplete for one worker, and as a result, an officer went to the individual’s East Orange home. The man was identified as Bruce Hamer.
Back at police headquarters, the officer ran a check on Hamer, found he had given a false birthdate, and had $4,000 in outstanding warrants. The officer went to the worksite – back at Overlook Road – intending to arrest Hamer, but the crew had already left.
Police caught up with Hamer at the East Orange contracting company, where he was arrested without incident. Meanwhile, the jewelry is still missing and police are continuing the investigation.
