Millburn, New Jersey is a nice place to live. There are tree-lined streets, good schools, and the median family income is in the high $100,000 range. Last week a father on one of those streets set up a nanny cam in his home. Friday morning, his 3-year-old daughter and 18-month-old son were home with his wife. The mother and daughter were on the couch, watching television. The son slept upstairs. The nanny cam was on.
Suddenly there was a crash from the kitchen. The mother jumped up to investigate, only to see a large black man lunge toward her. She ran to the living room and he caught her at the couch, right next to her daughter. He rained punches down on her mercilessly. Over the next few minutes, he repeatedly beat her, threw her around, choked her, and finally threw her down the basement stairs. He then took several items of jewelry from the home, including her wedding ring, and fled.
And all the while, the nanny cam was running. This New Jersey home invasion was caught entirely on video. The woman and her husband decided to release the cam footage to the public, hoping that someone would recognize the man and help bring him to justice.
Today that decision paid off. It is reported now that police have arrested Shawn Custis, 42, in Inwood, Manhattan. He was charged with attempted murder, robbery, burglary and endangering the welfare of a child.
The victim’s husband said in a statement:
“We are forever grateful to the incredible team of law enforcement officers for their hard work over the past week. Thanks to these heroes, our family can now begin the next chapter of our healing. We also want to thank everyone in the Millburn community, the Millburn Workmoms, and those from across the country for the outpouring of support.”
This is the video the family released to the public, leading to the arrest of Custis. It is violent and hard to watch. It is not suitable for children, and perhaps not for work.