⚫ A homeowner was bound and held at gunpoint, police say

⚫ Robbers made off with cash, collectibles, and a Jeep

⚫ Police found the Jeep after it had crashed


WEST CALDWELL — Officials are on the hunt for three individuals who held a man at gunpoint during an overnight home invasion.

In the meantime, residents are being advised to "remain vigilant," though the attack does not appear to be connected to other incidents in the township.

West Caldwell police were called to a home on Lougheed Avenue at around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday for the report of an invasion-type robbery.

According to police, the homeowner was awakened by the sound of someone breaking through a rear sliding glass door of the home. When he investigated the sound, the homeowner was confronted by three armed individuals on the first floor.

Lougheed Avenue, West Caldwell (Google Maps)
Lougheed Avenue, West Caldwell (Google Maps)
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Police said the suspects bound the homeowner's wrists and ankles with tape and held him at gunpoint while the home was ransacked for valuables.

The suspects got away with cash and a number of collectibles, and drove away in the homeowner's 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to officials.

The Jeep was eventually located in New Brunswick, after it had crashed, police said. The vehicle was unoccupied by the time police had arrived on the scene of the crash.

"We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and are working closely with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office to investigate this crime," police said on social media.

According to a preliminary investigation, the home invasion was likely a targeted act and does not appear to be "consistent with recent home burglaries for high-end motor vehicles in the area," police said.

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Last week, West Caldwell officers responded to a robbery in progress on Fairfield Avenue. Officers quickly apprehended two suspects; three 20-year-old New Jersey residents were charged in the incident.

Anyone with information related to the Lougheed Avenue robbery is being asked to contact the West Caldwell Police Department at 973-226-4114.

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