On March 15 at 4:11 a.m., Kearny Police Officers Anthony Oliveira and Jose Castillo and Sgt. Tom Pontrella responded to Walmart on a report of an unconscious man in Aisle 21. There, they found a 44-year-old Belleville man passed out on the floor.
Police said his companion, a 45-year-old Bloomfield woman, told them that the two had been shopping together when the man told her that he had ingested heroin earlier — then he leaned over and collapsed.
Officer Castillo administered two doses of nasal Narcan, which reversed the effects of the drug after a few minutes. The man was transported by EMS to St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark for further evaluation.
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Other recent reports from the Kearny police blotter included the following:
March 4
At 11:49 a.m., several officers responded to a report that a donnybrook had broken out — incredibly — at Arlington Cemetery during a funeral. The officers restored order but found that a 39-year-old Rahway man had sustained two black eyes and other facial injuries that required nine stitches at Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville.
Det. Marc McCaffrey followed up on the case, identified the alleged assailant and, on March 11, took a 17-year-old Newark boy into custody, charging him with aggravated assault. The boy was released to his guardian pending a court date.
The reason for the battle is not known, but we hope the deceased is now resting in peace.
March 6
At 4:13 p.m., Officer Anthony Nunez was monitoring traffic at Passaic and Johnston avenues, when the driver of a black Acura looked at the parked patrol car and then abruptly stopped his car in the intersection for no apparent reason — although one would become obvious. Police said the driver, Flavio Perez-Mejias, 23, of Newark, was wanted by Philadelphia authorities on a drug warrant, had a suspended license and told Nunez he was high from smoking marijuana.
The passenger, Katherine Schelmetty-Girau, 22, of Newark, was the Acura’s owner but reportedly could not produce proof of registration or insurance. Police said the car smelled of weed and a marijuana cigar was recovered from the driver’s area.
Schelmetty-Girau was issued a ticket for allowing an unlicensed person to operate her car. Perez-Mejias was charged with possession of pot, DUI and a slew of other traffic violations. He was released from KPD headquarters to a family member after Philadelphia police refused to extradite.
March 7
At 11:41 p.m., Officers Harold Azurdia and Ryan Stickno responded to Walmart, where security alleged that Jefferson Steven, 22, and Hector Garcia, 29, both of Newark, had concealed (respectively) $155.37 and $189.63 worth of miscellaneous electronics in boxes and tried to leave without paying. Incident to arrest, police reportedly found on Garcia a Visa debit card and a New York food stamp card belonging to other people.
Steven was charged on a summons with shoplifting and was later released.
Police said Garcia originally gave them a false identity and was charged with shoplifting, hindering apprehension and two counts of theft of property lost, mislaid or delivered by mistake. They said he also was wanted by Essex County (receiving stolen property, no-bail) and Newark (bails of $1,000, $500, $250 and a no-bail warrant). He was sent to the Hudson County Jail.
March 9
Officer Sean Kelly, responding to a car crash at the Belleville Pike and Argyle Place at 10:51 a.m., reportedly found that a Nissan driven by Samuel Viana Jr., 27, of Kearny, was pulling out of a lot when it struck a parked, occupied Toyota minivan. No injuries were reported. Police said Viana had a suspended license and was wanted by Kearny (local ordinance, $100) and North Arlington (disorderly conduct, $183 bail). He was charged with DWS and careless driving, posted bail and was later released.
March 10
This apparently being the season for donnybrooks [Note: That is not an anti-Irish comment; despite her last name, your correspondent’s ancestors hail from County Mayo “God help them.”] at 5:02 a.m., Capt. Paul Bershefski, Sgt. Phil Finch and Officer Derek Hemphill responded to the Arlington Diner to assist North Arlington police with a fight between two groups of people. Police said one combatant, Sebastian Echeverri, 21, of Kearny, also fought with the cops and had to be physically restrained with O.C. spray. His arrest was processed through NAPD. Authorities said he was charged by the Bergen County prosecutor with simple assault, obstructing the administration of law, disorderly conduct and harassment.
March 11
Officers Matthew Knighton and Jose Castillo were called to Walmart at 1:11 a.m. on a complaint by security that Brittany Stephenson, 22, and Alyah Bogar, 25, both of Newark, had engaged in under-ringing at the self-checkout — attempting to leave with $260.52 of merchandise after scanning and paying for only $107 worth. Police said Bogar was also wanted by Millburn Township on a $536 shoplifting warrant, for which Millburn later released her on her own recognizance pending a new court date. Both she and Stephenson were charged and released on Kearny shoplifting summonses.
March 13
At 3:22 a.m., Officers Ryan Stickno and Josh Lopez responded to Walmart on a report that Bilal Bishop, 20, of Newark, had shoplifted and fled. Police said Stickno found the suspect hiding behind an SUV in the Wawa parking lot but, upon being approached, Bishop ran, jumped a fence and continued across Harrison Avenue into the lot of the postal building. Stickno and Lopez, now joined by Officers Harold Azurdia and Darwin Paulino, gave chase and caught him under a parked SUV.
Police said Walmart security identified Bishop as having under-rung $29.22 of merchandise — red pepper, minced garlic, shoulder steak and brown sugar — at a self-checkout. Bishop, who was wanted on a $250 Jersey City traffic warrant, was charged with shoplifting, trespassing, resisting arrest and obstructing and was transferred to the Hudson County Jail, where we doubt he had steak for dinner.
