3 Florida men ID'd as Hillsborough car burglary suspects

A 911 caller whose vehicle was broken into described the suspects' vehicle and said it was seen leaving the parking lot at a high rate of speed

From left, Anthony Robinson, Demetrius Robinson and James Maxwell, all of Florida, were charged in the vehicle burglaries. (Courtesy of Somerset County prosecutor) 

HILLSBOROUGH -- Authorities have identified three Florida men as the suspects who were arrested in the burglaries of five vehicles that were parked Saturday at the Sourland Mountain Preserve in Hillsborough.

Demetrius Robinson, 25, of Lauderdale Lakes, Anthony Robinson, 25, of Fort Lauderdale and James Maxwell, 26 of Lauderdale Lakes were each charged with five counts of burglary and five counts of theft, according to a statement issued by Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano and Hillsborough Police Chief Paul Kaminsky. Anthony Robinson was also charged with one count of eluding, they said.

An investigation began at 11:44 a.m. after police received a 911 call reporting that a purse had been stolen from a Honda CR-V while the vehicle was parked at the nature preserve and park, Soriano said.

The caller also reported seeing an orange Jeep with tinted windows and an out-of-state license plate leaving the parking lot at a high rate of speed, Soriano said.

Hillsborough police officers who were dispatched to the park learned that four other vehicles had been burglarized and purses had been stolen, Soriano said.

A short time later, Soriano said, Hillsborough Officer Nicholas Saleeba observed a Jeep that matched the description traveling above the speed limit. 

The Jeep moved faster after Saleeba activated his emergency lights and siren but the suspect vehicle came to a stop at the corner of Amwell and Wertsville roads after a collision with a pick-up truck, Soriano said. He added that the truck driver reported three men had left the vehicle. 

After an extensive search involving the New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit, the three men were found in the area, Soriano said.

Police also found a spring-activated window punch and the stolen purses, which were scattered along with their contents near a residence on Amwell Road, Soriano said. 

Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.