Photo courtesy ChatGPT
OCEAN COUNTY – A Bayville man has been charged after police say he carried out a series of locker room thefts at a local gym over several weeks.
The Berkeley Township Police Department said officers responded multiple times in January and early February to reports of thefts at the Retro Fitness gym on Route 9. In four incidents, victims told police that cash and clothing were taken from lockers while they were working out.
Police were called back to the gym Feb. 6 after a member reported an attempted theft.
Authorities said the victim entered the locker room and saw a man going through his duffel bag inside an unlocked locker. The member alerted gym staff, who contacted police and confronted the suspect inside the facility until officers arrived.
Because of the earlier theft reports, detectives were also called to assist with the investigation, police said.
The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Mario Cruz-Hernandez of Bayville. He was taken into custody and brought to police headquarters, authorities said.
Investigators later determined Cruz-Hernandez was responsible for all of the reported thefts at the gym, according to police. Stolen items belonging to earlier victims were recovered and will be returned.
Police noted that all of the thefts involved lockers that were not secured with locks.
Cruz-Hernandez was charged with one count of attempted theft related to the Feb. 6 incident and four counts of theft stemming from earlier cases. He was released on summons pending a future court appearance under New Jersey bail reform guidelines.
