Morris County Law Enforcement Officers Commended for Successful Burglary Investigation
Published on February 04, 2019
On February 1, 2019, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp and Chief of Investigations Stephen F. Wilson, Jr. presented commendations to Lieutenant Gregory Rossi, Sergeant Joseph Costello, Detective Michael Puskas, Detective Sasha Gould, Detective Muhammad Thomas, Detective Stephen Gangi, Detective Martyna Ruminska, Detective Supervisor Stephanie Merced, Task Force Officer Edward Zienowicz, and Task Force Officer Scott Weaver.
On July 28, 2018, Detective Muhammad Thomas responded to an attempted burglary in Morris Township, New Jersey. It was reported that a suspect had attempted to gain access to an occupied residence, and had fired a handgun into the floor of the home. The subsequent investigation led to identifying Patrick Wolfe and Kyle Vaz as suspects in the case.
Following numerous overnight surveillance details, probable cause was established for a residence in Newark, New Jersey. During an overnight operation members of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, Special Enforcement Unit, Morris Township Police Department, and Morris County Sheriff's Office Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at the residence in Newark. A loaded handgun, ammunition, and a large quantity of illicit drugs was recovered from the residence. Interviews following the operation led to the arrests of Kyle Vaz and Patrick Wolfe for the attempted burglary in Morris Township.
Prosecutor Knapp said, This successful investigation resulted in removing a dangerous, illegal firearm and drugs from the streets of New Jersey. We are proud of the exemplary efforts of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes and Special Enforcement Units, as well as all of our law enforcement partners who aided in the investigation.
From left: MCPO Det. Michael Puskas, Sgt. Joseph Costello, Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, Det. Muhammad Thomas, Det. Sasha Gould, Lt. Gregory Rossi, and Chief of Investigations Stephen F. Wilson, Jr.
Inquiries concerning this press release should be directed to Public Information Officer Peter DiGennaro at pressinquiry@co.morris.nj.us or 973-829-8159.