Tracking down three alleged home invaders in New Jersey became easier for paterson police after one of the bandits dropped the keys to their get away car.

Authorities said the gun-toting men entered a city apartment expecting to find loads of money.

They woke one man and demanded cash as they tried unsuccessfully to bind his arms. But the man began screaming and fought with one bandit, stabbing him with scissors before another suspect beat him with a shotgun.

Realizing they targeted the wrong residence, the men then fled with just a threefoot, beer bottle-shaped piggy bank containing about $2 in change.

Police soon arrived and, after finding the lost keys in a bedroom, used the car alarm to locate a deserted vehicle in a nearby parking lot. Its registration led them to the alleged robbers, who were found sitting in a taxi outside one suspect's home.

The hapless alleged burglars face robbery, burglary and weapons charges, and a little humiliation seems to be in order, as well.

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