West Orange Police make arrest after burglaries and thefts at Walmart, Pizza Hut

Published 1:47 pm Thursday, January 4, 2024

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WEST ORANGE — A West Orange code enforcement compliance check turned into a burglary investigation Thursday morning, authorities announced.

West Orange Police Department officer Bobby Ashworth conducted a follow up check at 3009 MacArthur Drive in West Orange.

While on site of the business, Ashworth discovered a partially opened door. When opening the door, he discovered a transient sleeping on a mattress just inside the doorway.

The transient, identified as 32-year-old Juan Peralta, upon being awakened, was found wearing stolen clothing from Walmart that still had the store tags attached, police said.

“Investigators, having dealt with Peralta within the previous week due to an attempted break in at the Auto Zone in West Orange, were also able to connect Peralta to a business burglary at the Pizza Hut located at 3109 Edgar Brown Drive that occurred within the past 24 hours due to evidence recovered in the abandoned building,” a release from WOPD stated.

Peralta was arrested and taken to the Orange County Jail, charged with burglary of a building and criminal trespass.