Watch CBS News

'Law & Order' Ring Tone Prompts Cops To Arrest Michael Richardson

PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - Maybe he should've kept it on vibrate.

Paterson police say they picked up a suspect in a home invasion after a distinctive ring tone allegedly tipped them off.

The Record reported that two armed men shoved their way into a home on Market Street Wednesday. One of the men squeezed off a shot as they were breaking in, barely missing the head of a 9-year-old boy within.

One of the men kept the boy, his brother, mother and grandmother under guard while the other tore through the home.

All they walked away with, though, was the mother's cell phone.

It turns out the mother had a distinctive ring tone on her phone: it played the theme of the television show "Law & Order."

Cops didn't say how they figured out where one of the suspects might be, but they believed a suspect might be at Rosa Parks Boulevard and 12th Avenue.

There they found a group of men - so they called the mother's phone.

Sure enough, the distinctive ring was heard blaring loudly.

Police say they found the phone in the pocket of 23-year-old Michael Richardson of Paterson. He's charged with robbery, possession of a weapon, and aggravated assault.

Cops are still hunting for the other suspect.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.