Belleville Police Blotter — July 4

He didn’t belong in that car

A Union Avenue resident told police on June 17 that as she as she arrived home at around 3 a.m., she observed an unknown man in her father’s vehicle. The man reportedly saw her and fled on foot from area. The victim was able to ID the suspect to officers. The suspect was found attempting to hide under an vehicle.

Marco Costa, 26, of Harrison, was taken into custody and charged with burglary, resisting arrest, possession of burglary tools, possession of a hypodermic needle, theft of lost property and credit card theft.

Not so wise to ‘hide’ behind a pole

Officers on patrol around 4 a.m., June 19, on Honiss Street, said they observed a man carrying two brown boxes whilst walking down street. When the suspect noticed the police, they say he attempted to hide behind a pole. Eventually, officers stopped the suspect and determined the packages had been stolen from a local business. The suspect, Brandon Caldwell, 31, of Newark, was taken into custody. The boxes contained electronics worth approximately $280 and were returned to owner. Caldwell was charged with theft by unlawful taking — and was later released on his own recognizance.

No leaf blower for you …

Calvin Battle, 59, of Newark, was arrested June 19 shortly after noon on Washington Avenue and charged with burglary and theft. Police say a victim told them he observed Battle enter a shed and take a leaf blower and attempt to leave. The victim was able to detain Battle until police arrived. The leaf blower, fortunately, was returned to its owner. Battle was remanded to the Essex County Jail.

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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.