By Karen Zautyk
Nutley police are hunting three men who robbed a Centre St. convenience store at gunpoint last Wednesday night.
Police said the masked trio entered the Quick Buy store shortly before 10 p.m. Oct. 12, forced one of the two clerks on duty to lie on the floor and demanded money from the one at the cash register. One of the bandits was brandishing a small black revolver.
Police said the robbers made off with an undisclosed amount of money and phone cards, fleeing on foot through the store’s parking lot and residential yards, heading west towards Woodland Ave., where they presumably had a car for a getaway.
The suspects were described as black males, all about 5’-5” and all wearing black wool caps , all-black clothing and cloth covering their faces.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Nutley Detective Bureau at 973-284-4940.
Other incidents from the Nutley police blotter for the week ending Oct. 13 included, but were not limited to, the following reports:
Oct. 8
10:10 a.m. — Police received a walk-in report of a dog bite. The victim did not require any medical attention but did want the incident documented. It was found that the dog was current with its vaccinations but did not have a license. The owner was issued a Township Ordinance violation and advised to keep the dog under quarantine until contacted by the Health Department.
5:38 p.m. — Police were called to a residence regarding a dispute that ended in the arrest of Nicholas Zappulla, 23, of Nutley. He was issued a summons for theft and was also found to have a warrant from the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. He was turned over to the ECSO.
6:11 p.m. — Illegal dumping was reported on Harrison St. A Budget rental truck was seen in the area where a couch and TV were left at the curb.
Oct. 9
12:39 a.m. – Police responded to Route 21 on a call of a vehicle stopped, running and possibly on fire in the middle lane of the highway. Officers found the car smoking, possibly from engine failure. There were no keys in the ignition and the owner was nowhere in the area. The car was towed and contact was made with the owner by the Newark Police Department.
2:05 a.m. — An officer on patrol observed two males engaged in a dispute in the middle of Franklin Ave. and witnessed one push the other into a parked vehicle. William Cordoba, 36, of Kearny was charged with simple assault and resisting arrest and was also found to be wanted on a Montclair warrant. Cordoba was able to post bail and was released with his mandatory court date.
6:04 p.m. – A resident of Ravine Ave. reported criminal mischief to his auto, which had been keyed from front to back sometime during the afternoon.
Oct. 10
12:14 a.m. — Police responded to a residence regarding a report of missing checks. The victim stated checks were missing from their checkbook and that their bank statement included record of a check not written by the account holder. The Detective Bureau is following up on the incident.
Oct. 11
9:37 a.m. – A Whitford Ave. resident reported a burglary to their automobile. The victim stated that they found their car with the doors slightly ajar and several items, valued at more than $1,700, missing.
10:23 a.m. – Police responded to a report of several suspicious parties — two juveniles and an adult male. The juveniles were found to be out of school without parental permission. The adult, Musa Ibrahim-Vann, 30, of Nutley, was found to have a warrant out of Newark, and a pat down allegedly revealed two bags of marijuana in his possession. He was charged with possession of CDS.
Oct. 12
8:44 a.m. – A resident reported that a plastic no-parking sign had been glued to their car‘s windshield sometime during the night.
10:10 a.m. – A fraud was reported by a Satterthwaite Ave. resident who had received a check from the IRS made out to an unknown party but with the address of the victim. This is the second check mailed by the IRS to this residence. Both were mailed back to the IRS.
10:26 a.m. – A teacher found a clear plastic bag containing five smaller bags of marijuana lying in the Nutley High School parking lot. The bag was given to the school security officer and the police were contacted.
Oct. 13
2:55 pm – Police received a report of criminal mischief to an auto. The owner said all the tire caps were missing and the left rear tire was flat.
10:13 p.m. – Police responded to a Centre St. home when a landlord reported that a new tenant had an electrical cord plugged into his outlet and was stealing electricity. Police investigated and found no cord at the time of arrival.
