Off-duty officer and retired deputy police chief help lead to arrest in West Windsor burglary
Miguel A. Vargas, 37, of Trenton, was arrested after allegedly breaking into a home on South Post Road on Friday, Jan. 9, and fleeing the scene.
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An off-duty South Brunswick police officer and his retired law enforcement father stepped into action to help lead to an arrest of a Trenton man charged in a burglary in West Windsor.
Miguel A. Vargas, 37, of Trenton, was arrested after allegedly breaking into a home on South Post Road on Friday, Jan. 9, and fleeing the scene. He was later charged with burglary and criminal mischief, according to West Windsor police.
West Windsor police said they received a call around 1 p.m. reporting a residential burglary in progress. The homeowner had received a phone alert that his burglary alarm had been set off due to a glass break. He then contacted a neighbor, retired South Brunswick Police Deputy Chief J. Stoddard, to check the property.
J. Stoddard and his son, Officer Daniel Stoddard, a current South Brunswick police officer who was off duty at the time, checked the outside of the house and saw a back bedroom window had been smashed. Daniel saw the suspect leaving the home through the broken window.
Police say Officer Stoddard instructed the suspect to stop, and he did not, leading to a foot chase into Mercer County Park, where the suspect got in a Hyundai Santa Fe parked near the soccer fields.
“He made it to a vehicle that he had parked across the street in the parking lot,” Stoddard said. “I was able to get photos of the vehicle while my dad was relaying information to West Windsor police.”
The photos included the license plate, and Daniel gave the photos to responding officers.
Police said the suspect drove through the soccer fields, left the park onto Old Trenton Road and fled the area. A bulletin was issued after officers believed the vehicle had entered Robbinsville Township.
Robbinsville police later saw the car on Route 130 South and tried to stop it, but police said the driver got away. Investigators later traced the vehicle to a residence on Monmouth Street in Trenton. After several hours, police said the suspect left the home and surrendered.
A search of the residence turned up evidence connected to the West Windsor burglary, along with items believed to be linked to another break-in, police said.
Lt. Jason Jones, of the West Windsor Police Department, said the response is a commitment to service that goes beyond active duty.
“Law enforcement officers typically have a calling to serve, and they want to do right, and they want to continue to protect the communities even after retirement,” Jones said. “The fact that you have a retired deputy chief that was willing to step in for his neighbor who was experiencing a burglary to his home, and again, his son, who was an off-duty police officer that was willing to act in an off-duty capacity to try and prevent this from happening to someone else, is exemplary.”
South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka praised the actions of both men.
“An officer is never truly off duty or retired,” Hayducka said in a statement. “This was excellent work by a father–son team who have served our community for decades. Their quick actions led to the capture of this burglar. They represent the best of our department.”
Daniel Stoddard said helping others is part of the job and that any officer would have done the same.
“We do the job because we love what we do,” he said. “Yeah, you’re never off a day in your life, but it’s because you want to help.”
