The suspect allegedly broke into a home’s mudroom after they found an unlocked garage window. Unfortunately for the would-be thief, his entry set off an alarm. Officials believe the perpetrator was looking for a key fob to steal the homeowner’s BMW, which was parked in the garage. That plan, however, soon evaporated.
The alert homeowner retrieved his pistol and fired a shot at the suspect after a confrontation. Police report the intruder was not hit, but he quickly went back out through the window he entered and fled in a vehicle waiting outside. Police believe the vehicle the pair escaped in was already stolen.
The suspect is described as in his late teens or early 20s and wearing all red. Investigators discovered that the suspect tried to gain entry into an SUV next door, but the vehicle was locked.
Area residents believe the neighborhood was targeted due to its proximity to I-280.
Mayor James Spango said afterwards that the incident is another cautionary tale reminding residents to take steps to avoid being a victim. Among his recommendations were to lock car doors, take keys and fobs inside with you, do not leave the garage door opener in your car, and secure the door between the garage and the house.
In this instance, he overlooked the main factor. Be legally armed. This fortunate homeowner’s gun was legal, and authorities reported that no charges are being filed as his reaction to the intrusion appeared justified.
Another factor at play is that New Jersey is one of the few states that requires a threatened individual to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense. At least this ridiculous statute makes an important exception – you are not required to turn tail and run from your home or surrender your home to an intruder.
The area is no stranger to car thefts, as similar incidents have surged in New Jersey in recent years. This, of course, is also a state where gun control advocates are trying to strip Second Amendment rights away from law-abiding citizens.
In this case and many others like it, it was exercising these constitutional rights that prevented a person from becoming yet another victim.
As more and more states fall in line with the narrative that it’s guns and not criminals themselves which are to blame for violence, stories like this lucky New Jersey homeowner are becoming increasingly common. The Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and more Americans than ever are arming themselves as lawlessness spreads.
As so many major cities provide daily examples of, gun control laws do little to nothing to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals. What do people who have cycled in and out of jail and prison care if the law says they are not to be armed? Nothing. The only freedom they count on is their ability to prey on unarmed victims who have no way to fight back.
And in some cases, are legally prevented from fighting back.
This thief in New Jersey intended on committing a property crime with no resistance. If the owner had confronted him without being armed, the incident may have had a very different and possibly even tragic ending. But that was not the case.
Once again, a legal firearm wielded by an alert citizen stopped a criminal in their tracks. And as much as some who love nothing more than to politically grandstand like to blame the weapon for every crime, it was the firearm that saved the day.
