New Jersey homeowners demand action to address crime issues following 2 home invasions
HADDONFIELD, N.J. (CBS) -- Haddonfield homeowners are on high alert following two home invasions in April.
Tom Hutchinson's surveillance system captured the moment when a group of people broke into his house while he and his family were upstairs sleeping.
"Heard noise downstairs," Hutchinson said. "[I] was able to go halfway down the house, down the stairwell and scare them off."
The two home invasions are why Marc Rubino helped start a group called Haddonfield Safe to demand solutions to what, he said, is a crime problem in the borough.
"They're getting more brash, where they don't care if they're on-camera," Rubino said. "They have crowbars, the alarm's going off."
Rubino and Hutchinson want the borough to hire more officers, approve overtime patrols and install license plate readers.
"We'd like to see a return to normalcy and be able to be in our homes and feel safe," Hutchinson said.
Haddonfield Police Chief Jason Cutler said these burglaries are related to the ongoing statewide investigation into the rise in luxury car thefts that have been happening across South Jersey.
While he said crime statistics show burglaries are down in the borough, he understands neighbors' frustrations.
"People deserve to feel safe, and I don't blame them. I don't blame them for being upset," Chief Cutler said. "I just hope they realize that we are doing the best we can."
Rubino and Hutchinson want the borough to recognize their concerns and hire more officers.
"We'd like to see a return to normalcy and be able to be in our homes and feel safe," Hutchinson said.
The borough says it plans to hire more officers, and in the meantime, Rubino said they plan to hold a community meeting to start a neighborhood watch.