After 2-Week Investigation, Police Arrest Westfield Pair for Burglaries

The Westfield Police Department arrested two Westfield men Wednesday on charges of burglary and attempted burglary of at least two homes on Embree Crescent, according to a press release distributed by Capt. David Wayman.

The incidents were reported Oct. 19, and a two-week investigation led police to James Reardon III, 20, and Travis Cassett, 21. Cassett faces a charge of burglary and attempted burglary, and was released after posting bail of $25,000. Reardon is charged with burglary and criminal mischief. He is being held at the Union County Jail on $25,000 bail.

Wayman said that the charges are "preliminary," adding "as we continue with the investigation, develop more victims, and validate more crimes that they committed, additional charges will be pressed in the very near future. Both were additionally charged with narcotic offenses. They were found with heroin.”

On Oct. 19 at about 11:45 p.m., an elderly resident in the 600-block of Embree Crescent reported that two white men, apparently in their 20s, by kicking-in a basement window.

"When he heard the noise and came downstairs, they saw him, he saw them, and they ran," Wayman said in a telephone interview the day after the reported burglary. The resident called the police, and the suspects fled in a green van just before the arrival of two officers.

The incident marked the second reported burglary in one week. On Oct. 6, Westfield police and recovered thousands of dollars in stolen goods after residents reported observing the men attempting to break into a home on Sandy Hill Road. Officers apprehended the pair and proceeded to canvas the neighborhood, where they discovered that a home on Moss Avenue had been burglarized. Police charged the pair with burglary.

Following the Oct. 6 arrests, police launched a wider investigation into home burglaries. “We’d been experiencing burglaries, so we’ve been actively pursuing a burglary investigation for some time,” Wayman said. “This was the end-result.”

In apprehending Reardon and Cassett, officers recovered a large amount of jewelry and numerous other pieces of property that are believed to be the proceeds of previous burglaries, Wayman said. Police have informed several Westfield residents that they were unknowingly the victims of burglaries because their homes were not forcibly entered.

Some of the property has been identified and connected to other burglaries, but a large amount remains unclaimed. Police have asked all residents – especially those familiar with Cassett and Reardon, as well as those who have family members who attended Westfield High School with the duo – to inventory their jewelry. If jewelry or other property is missing and you feel you may have been a victim of a burglary, contact Sgt. Joseph Costanzo at 908-789-6086.