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NJ Burglar Who Fled To Canada On Kayak Gets More Jail Time

FLEMINGTON, N.J. (AP) — Another state prison term has been handed down to a New Jersey man who fled to Canada just before he was due to be sentenced for stealing from his neighbors after Tropical Storm Irene.

Hunterdon County prosecutors announced Wednesday that 39-year-old Steven Pieczynski of Lambertville was sentenced to five years on burglary and theft charges. That will run consecutively to a four-year term he received for bail jumping.

Prosecutors say Pieczynski went to upstate New York in September 2012 and used a kayak to cross the Lower Niagara River and enter Canada. He was eventually found in Toronto, at the home of a woman he had met online.

Authorities have said Pieczynski was friends with his neighbors on Facebook. He broke into their home after noting they would be traveling.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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