Police apprehend suspects behind multiple burglaries Pair suspected of robbery at Chuck E. Cheese's in Bridgewater BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer METUCHEN - The keen eye and alert actions of police Sgt. Michael Kilker led to the arrests of two men who are also suspects in a number of burglaries throughout Middlesex and Somerset counties, police said. Police arrested and charged Michael Groze, 49, Perth Amboy, and Alfred Marino, 48, Edison, with receiving stolen property and possession of burglary tools in Edison. Kilker, who has been with the Metuchen Police Department for 15 years, was on patrol during the evening of Nov. 30 when he observed a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Metuchen Manor on Middlesex Avenue that he never seen parked there before, police said. Kilker looked up the license plate, which showed the car was registered to Groze. At the time, he had no reason to believe that the vehicle was involved in any type of crime; however, later that night it was reported that the Metuchen Elks No. 1914 lodge, which is located next to Metuchen Manor, had been burglarized at 12:33 a.m., police said. After Kilker turned over the information to Metuchen detectives, they developed Groze as a suspect not only in the Metuchen Elks burglary but several burglaries throughout Middlesex and Somerset counties, police said. "If it were not for the outstanding patrol practices and the keen observations of Sgt. Kilker, these arrests would not have been possible and there would have been many other victims of Groze and Marino in the future," the Metuchen police said in an official statement. Metuchen detectives formed a surveillance team with the Edison Township burglary squad, officers from Woodbridge, Old Bridge, South Plainfield, and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. The team began surveillance on Groze in the Port Reading section of Woodbridge Township at 8 p.m. Dec. 14, police said. At approximately 10:15 p.m., the team followed Groze and Marino up Route 287 and into Bridgewater, police said. After watching the two suspects for almost three hours, members of the team observed one of the suspects walking out of the rear door of Chuck E. Cheese's on Promenade Boulevard in Bridgewater after the business had been closed for hours, police said. Police observed Groze and Marino meet up again and place a yellow bag under the hood of the vehicle and began making their way south on Route 287, police said. Part of the team remained behind and confirmed that Chuck E. Cheese's had been broken into, its phone lines had been cut, and its rear door had been pried open. Police also observed that the suspects had made a hole in the plasterboard in order to enter the main portion of the business, police said. Edison Police Patrol Units stopped Groze and Marino on Route 287 in Edison, and the two were arrested shortly after 1 a.m. Dec. 15, police said. Police said an investigation revealed that the suspects allegedly had stolen over $300 in cash from token machines, ice cream machines and cash drawers inside Chuck E. Cheese, and that the suspects were in possession of burglary tools including ski masks, gloves, flashlights, a mallet, wire cutters, and two axes, police said. Groze was also charged with burglary and theft of the Metuchen Elks No. 1914 lodge on Middlesex Avenue on Nov. 30, police said. Groze's bail was set at $200,000 and Marino's bail was set at $100,000. Both men were transported to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick. Groze and Marino are facing charges from a number of other jurisdictions pending the outcome of their investigations, police said.