DNA helps Wyckoff police nab 'motorcycle burglar'

WYCKOFF Police arrested a man known they called the "motorcycle burglar" this morning after matching him to DNA found at one of his victim's homes.

According to Wyckoff Chief Benjamin Fox, officers responded to a Nancy Lane residence in July 2011 after a homeowner reported that approximately $3,000 worth of jewelry had gone missing from her home.

A neighbor had observed a man activating an alarm system as he fled the home, and the man rode past the homeowner on a motorcycle as she was arriving home.

During an investigation, police found droplets of blood inside the home, along with a crowbar and a pair of latex gloves that had been discarded as the man rode away on the motorcycle, Fox said. They then matched DNA samples from the blood and gloves to 51-year-old Lee Malsch of Paterson, whose extensive criminal history included past burglaries.

Police obtained a warrant for Malsch's arrest on Sept. 11, but had trouble locating him. With the help of the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, however, they were able to find him this morning and take him into custody.

He was charged with burglary and theft, and is currently awaiting a bail hearing at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack.

Fox praised the work of the investigating officers, saying that burglaries can often be difficult to solve.

"My guys don't solve every crime. No department does. But when they have evidence to works ith, they do everything that they can to apprehend those responsible," he said. "That's what they did here, and this community should be grateful."

Police were unable to recover any of the jewelry stolen from the home in 2011.

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DNA helps Wyckoff police nab 'motorcycle burglar'