An 18-year-old Somerset man is facing a stack of felony charges after Somerset County investigators linked him to three separate break-ins this fall, including one in which a woman was allegedly assaulted and sustained a wrist laceration; her phone was also taken so she couldn't call 911. Mohamadu J. Betts was arrested without incident in Edison on Nov. 4, according to authorities, after what prosecutors describe as a joint investigation spanning multiple towns.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald announced the arrest, saying Betts faces multiple charges arising from incidents in Green Brook, Bernards Township and Bridgewater Township, according to TAPinto. Investigators with the prosecutor's office burglary task force worked alongside officers and detectives from Green Brook, Bernards Township and Bridgewater Township to build the case, per the same account. Betts has been lodged in Somerset County Jail pending a court hearing, and the charges remain accusations — he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
A Ransacked Home in Basking Ridge
The earliest of the three incidents unfolded on Oct. 19, when a Bernards Township homeowner on Whitenack Road in Basking Ridge returned to a grim scene. As reported by Daily Voice, the resident found a shattered basement window with possible blood droplets and the home ransacked. A jewelry box containing costume jewelry was taken from the residence, the outlet reported.
Three days later, on Oct. 22, Green Brook police fielded two calls about a suspicious individual at a Warrenville Road home. The first call, logged around 2:21 p.m., described a suspicious male attempting to enter through the front door after reportedly sitting across the street for an extended period — but responding officers were unable to locate him. A second call came in around 2:57 p.m. reporting that the individual had returned, this time gaining access through an unlocked window, according to the TAPinto report. The Green Brook homeowner reported costume jewelry and approximately $800 in cash stolen, and township police detectives launched an investigation.
Conflicting Accounts of the Bridgewater Attack
The most serious of the three incidents involved an alleged home invasion in Bridgewater Township, though the supplied accounts differ on when it happened. TAPinto's reporting places the Bridgewater home invasion on Chimney Rock Road on Oct. 29, with Bridgewater Township police responding at approximately 9:55 a.m. Daily Voice's account, however, ties the same wrist-laceration assault and phone theft to Oct. 2 — a discrepancy that has not been resolved in the materials reviewed for this report.
Regardless of the exact date, the details of what happened inside the home are consistent across both accounts. The victim reported being assaulted by the intruder, who allegedly took her phone to prevent her from calling 911, and she sustained a laceration to her wrist before receiving medical treatment. The suspect reportedly stole approximately $2,850 worth of jewelry before fleeing on a dirt bike-style electric bicycle, according to Daily Voice. Investigators said surveillance footage captured an individual with short blonde and brown dreadlocks, and they identified similarities between the Bridgewater and Green Brook incidents — including a black helmet, black mask and bracelet reportedly worn by the suspect in both.
From Surveillance Clues to an Edison Arrest
Those overlapping details helped investigators connect the dots. According to prosecutors, the investigation identified Betts, 18, of Somerset, as the suspect in all three incidents. Detectives arrested him without incident in Edison, with arresting officers drawn from the burglary task force and the Green Brook, Bernards Township, Bridgewater and Edison police departments.
Betts was charged with first-degree home invasion burglary, two counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of third-degree theft, third-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Prosecutor McDonald thanked the police departments of Green Brook, Bridgewater, Bernards Township, Hillsborough, Montgomery, North Brunswick, Franklin Township and Edison for their work on the case, according to the same release.
A Recurring Problem for Somerset County
This isn't the first time the region has grappled with clusters of residential break-ins. A 2024 investigation into an auto-theft trafficking network involved reported home and vehicle burglaries across Bernards Township, Bernardsville and Green Brook, according to Patch. That same report noted an earlier Green Brook burglary on Deer Path in December 2023, in which a handbag, wallet, cash and keys were stolen from a home. Separately, in March 2025, Somerset County authorities announced charges tied to residential burglaries that occurred in October 2024 in Franklin Township and Hillsborough Township, as reported by WRNJ Radio.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about these incidents, or any potentially related burglaries, to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Burglary Unit at 908-231-7100. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the StopIt app using access code SomersetNJ, which allows residents to submit information, photographs and videos anonymously, or through Somerset County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). Authorities said all anonymous tips will remain confidential.
