Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrests of KALI J. CARTER, 49, of East Orange, NJ, and DEMETRIUS D. HALE, 49, of Bergenfield, NJ, on various charges related to a series of burglaries across northern New Jersey. The arrests are the result of a months-long investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck.
From December 2023 through June 2024, multiple jurisdictions in the New York and New Jersey area were affected by a residential burglary pattern. Early on, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Reduction Unit, which was formed in late 2023 as a new initiative to address interjurisdictional crimes, began analyzing crime data, trends, and modus operandi of unsolved burglaries across the region. This collaborative review by law enforcement from Bergen County led investigators to believe that a large cross-section of similar incidents was all connected. In particular, a series of burglaries appeared to fit an emerging pattern across Bergen County, Essex County, and Morris County, as well as similar activity in New York.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Reduction Unit activated the assistance of its companion resource, the Crime Reduction Task Force – a group of municipal law enforcement officers from across Bergen County – who worked together over the course of many weeks to eventually identify the vehicle and suspects involved. Based on a complex and diligent investigation that required physical surveillance, as well as a careful review of video footage and cellular phone records, detectives determined that KALI J. CARTER and DEMETRIUS D. HALE engaged in a burglary spree across northern New Jersey for nearly seven months in Bergen County, NJ; Essex County, NJ; and Morris County, NJ. Ultimately, detectives from the Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force connected 18 unsolved burglaries and one attempted burglary, all of which spanned three New Jersey counties, and in so doing, identified CARTER and HALE as the suspects responsible.
On Tuesday, August 27, 2024, with the assistance of the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Reduction Task Force executed search warrants at the residences of KALI J. CARTER in East Orange, NJ and DEMETRIUS D. HALE in Bergenfield, NJ. Both men were located at their respective residences and taken into custody without incident by detectives from the Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force. During the course of the court-authorized searches, detectives recovered a .380 caliber semiautomatic Bersa Thunder handgun from CARTER’s residence.
As a result of the investigation, on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, KALI J. CARTER and DEMETRIUS D. HALE were remanded to the Bergen County Jail, each charged with 16 counts of various burglary and theft offenses for incidents that occurred in Bergen County, NJ, including:
January 2024
- Residential burglary in Ho-Ho-Kus.
- Residential burglary in Hackensack.
- Residential burglary in Paramus.
- Two residential burglaries in Ridgewood.
February 2024
- Residential burglary in Hasbrouck Heights.
March 2024
- Residential burglary in Hackensack.
June 2024
- Residential burglary in the Township of Washington.
On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, based on the results of the Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force investigation – and thanks to the coordination of law enforcement in both Essex County and Morris County – the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office further charged KALI J. CARTER and DEMETRIUS D. HALE with 11 additional counts each of various burglary and theft offenses for out-of-county incidents, including:
January 2024
- Residential burglary in Chatham Borough, Morris County.
- Attempted residential burglary in West Orange, Essex County.
February 2024
- Residential burglary in West Orange, Essex County.
March 2024
- Residential burglary in Livingston, Essex County.
June 2024
- Two residential burglaries in West Orange, Essex County.
- Residential burglary in Parsippany, Morris County
- Residential burglary in Verona, Essex County
Lastly, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, in light of the weapon recovered by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office during the search of CARTER’s residence, and with the coordination of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, KALI J. CARTER was additionally charged with one count of first-degree possession of a firearm, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5J; and one count of second-degree certain persons not to have weapons, 2C:39-7(b)(1).
Therefore, and beyond the two aforementioned weapon offenses, KALI J. CARTER remains in the custody of the Bergen County Jail awaiting a detention hearing, having been charged as described above with a total of 18 counts of third-degree burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2A (1); one count of attempted burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1A(1)/ 2C:18-2A(1); four counts of second-degree theft, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3A; and four counts of third-degree theft, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3A. CARTER’s charges encompass all of the crimes committed across Bergen County, NJ; Essex County, NJ; and Morris County, NJ.
Likewise, DEMETRIUS D. HALE remains in the custody of the Bergen County Jail awaiting a detention hearing, having been charged as described above with a total of 18 counts of third-degree burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2A (1); one count of attempted burglary, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1A(1)/ 2C:18-2A(1); four counts of second-degree theft, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3A; and four counts of third-degree theft, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3A. HALE’s charges encompass all of the crimes committed across Bergen County, NJ; Essex County, NJ; and Morris County, NJ.
“Thanks to the relentless and diligent work of the newly formed Crime Reduction Unit, and the considerable countywide resource that we have named the Crime Reduction Task Force, it is once again clear how collaboration among county and municipal law enforcement agencies can have a direct impact on complex cases,” said Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
Prosecutor Musella added, “While some investigations are resolved quickly, others require the patience and perseverance of our law enforcement officers and detectives from multiple agencies who work tirelessly to follow every lead, analyze evidence, and piece together pattern crimes. In this way, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to partner with law enforcement from across the county and across the state so that a coordinated response to organized criminal activity can have a direct impact on the quality of life for the entire region.”
First Assistant Prosecutor Heather Suffin said, “Whether the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office files one charge or 56 counts of various criminal charges in a given case, thededicated assistant prosecutors, detectives, analysts, and professional staff of this Office will capitalize on our excellent relationships with area law enforcement to partner up, and ensure that public safety remains the top priority.”
Matthew Finck, Chief of Detectives, said,“Jurisdictional boundaries are of no concern when partnerships and information sharing are combined with the mutual will of dedicated law enforcement professionals from the northern counties, and especially from the various local agencies that have committed personnel to the new Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force.”
Chief Finck continued, “This task force is a new initiative for us with added partnerships from municipal officers who help us identify, track, apprehend, and prosecute those who commit pattern crimes that diminish public safety, create fear, and impact our communities. I wish to acknowledge the police departments that are involved in this new team, and I must thank the police chiefs, mayors, and town councils that have dedicated manpower to an extremely important endeavor.”
Jeff Angermeyer, Deputy Chief of Detectives, noted, “By pinpointing and then interrupting the cycle of pattern crimes in and around the 70 municipalities of Bergen County, the Crime Reduction Unit will respond to current crime trends by using intelligence-led policing and the latest techniques for identifying criminal offenders.”
Deputy Chief Angermeyer added, “When suspects move about the region and commit pattern crimes across jurisdictions, seemingly it affords them the ability to remain elusive enough from any single investigation. The Bergen County Crime Reduction Task Force, however, collaborates with local, county, state, and federal resources while leveraging a multi-disciplinary approach in which investigators, analysts, and prosecuting attorneys work side-by-side for maximum effect.”
Prosecutor Mark Musella states that these charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella recognizes and thanks the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance with this multi-jurisdictional matter. Moreover, Prosecutor Musella wishes to particularly acknowledge the municipal police departments of Bergen County that are participating in the newly formed Crime Reduction Task Force, and whose efforts were instrumental in this investigation, namely: the Paramus Police Department, Saddle River Police Department, Tenafly Police Department, and Upper Saddle River Police Department.
Additionally, Prosecutor Musella thanks the many law enforcement agencies that had a hand in this investigation, including the Bergenfield Police Department; Chatham Borough Police Department; East Orange Police Department; Hackensack Police Department; Hasbrouck Heights Police Department; Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department; Leonia Police Department; Livingston Police Department; Parsippany Police Department; Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Police Department; Ridgewood Police Department; Township of Washington Police Department; Verona Police Department; West Orange Police Department; and the Wyckoff Police Department.