Long Valley Man Burglarized Third Hackettstown Store Before Arrest, Cops Say

Two days after being arrested for allegedly burglarizing two Hackettstown businesses on May 3, a Long Valley man was charged with a third while he remained in jail, Hackettstown police said.

Harpers Bagel & Bakery on Rt. 46 in Hackettstown reported a burglary to police on Monday, Sgt. Darren Tynan said. Video surveillance allegedly showed John Berardi, 50, entering the business and gaining access to the cash register, Tynan said.

An unknown amount of money was taken from the register, and Berardi was charged with burglary and criminal trespass. Bail was set at $5,000 for Berardi, who was already lodged in Warren County Correctional Facility for two other burglaries.

Those alleged crimes occurred on the same night, when Berardi allegedly threw a rock through the window of Al’s Quality Cleaners on Mountain Avenue in Hackettstown and also broke into Studio Nails across the street. Berardi was arrested and charged with burglary and criminal mischief for those incidents and was jailed on a total of $50,000 bail.

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