Two Arrested After Witnesses Tell Cops of Attempted Car Break-Ins

Two local residents were arrested late last month after police caught up with them after the pair was seen trying to break into cars in Ocean Acres.

Mark Benward, 18, of Manahawkin, and Jacquline Schlicher, 20, of Surf City, were arrested on attempted burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary charges after residents tipped off police, said Lt. Keith Germain of the Barnegat Township Police Department in a press release.

At 11 p.m., patrolmen Nicholas Venuto and Robert Armstrong responded to a report of a man attempting to gain access to cars parked near Chance Drive, Germain said. A witness told police the man left in a white Mitsubishi Eclipse, he said.

Armstrong tracked down the car on Nautilus and pulled it over, and police ultimately arrested Benward and Schlicher, who were in the car. Benward was charged with attempted burglary, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Germain said. Schlicher was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and possession of a hypodermic syringe, he said.

Both were lodged in the Ocean County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.