By Karen Zautyk
NUTLEY –
A custody battle resulted in an infant’s being snatched from her Centre St. home Oct. 22, but the 3-month-old was returned unharmed to her mother two days later, police reported.
According to police, the mother alerted them at 7:18 p.m. that evening that the mother and aunt of her estranged boyfriend had taken the infant, put the child in a car and fled the scene at a high rate of speed – with the child unsecured in the vehicle.
Nutley officers, with the assistance of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, launched an investigation, which led to the the baby’s being returned by family members at around 2 p.m. Oct. 24, Det. Anthony Montanari said.
Other than the report that the infant had not been in a car seat, “there was nothing to lead us to believe that the baby was in danger in any way,” Montanari said. Still, as a precaution, EMS was called to check her condition.
The detective said the child had a cough and some congestion when returned, “but I’m sure this was unrelated to the incident.”
No kidnapping charges were filed against the family members who took the baby. However, the former boyfriend, who is the infant’s biological father, was charged with simple assault for allegedly grabbing his ex’s arm during a custody argument. He turned himself in to the Nutley PD the day after the baby was brought home.
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Other reports from the Nutley police blotter for the week ending Oct. 27 included, but were not limited to, the following:
Oct. 21
3:23 p.m. – Police arrested 18-year-old Steven Nemec of Nutley in Kingsland Park when an anonymous source reported Nemec was there and wanted by authorities. Transported to headquarters, he posted $500 bail and was released.
8:07 p.m. – Police observed what they believed to be a drug transaction at the intersection of New St. and Franklin Ave. Detectives reported that an SUV had stopped and the driver had handed something to a female, later identified as Stephanie Jankin, 21, of Nutley. Jankin was allegedly found in possession of two bags of marijuana; she was charged and released pending a court hearing. Police are seeking the driver.
Oct. 22
2:13 a.m. – After a license plate check determined that a passing vehicle was unregistered, police initiated a traffic stop on Park Ave. and found the driver, 44-year-old Myrick Shaundry of Newark, to be wanted by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department. The vehicle was impounded and Shaundry was taken to the Essex County Jail.
2:23 a.m. – Police stopped a white Land Rover that was travelling on Bloomfield Ave. with its headlights off and found that the registration had expired. The driver was issued a summons and the vehicle was impounded.
7:03 a.m. – Police responded to a call from a local eatery when a customer became enraged that his order was taking so long. He was allowed to leave without paying.
1:32 p.m. – A Centre St resident reported that a tenant was having a satellite dish installed on the property without permission. Police advised both parties how to proceed.
4:50 p.m. – An officer attempting to initiate a motor vehicle stop on Bloomfield Ave. engaged in a brief pursuit when the 2006 Jeep refused to stop, but he lost sight of it on the Garden State Parkway. Newark police also attempted a pursuit. Police are following up with an investigation into the Hackensack-registered vehicle.
Oct. 23
5:13 a.m. – A burglary was reported at a Passaic Ave. business where the front window was found smashed.
7:34 a.m. – Police were alerted to be on the lookout for 2008 white Mercedes Benz that Clifton police were trying to locate in connection with a carjacking out of Harrison. Nutley officers observed it traveling at a high rate of speed south on Rt. 21, pursued it but relinquished the chase to the Belleville PD near Exit 5. The pursuers eventually lost sight of the vehicle in Newark.
8:58 a.m. – PSEG workers checking a power outage at a Burnett Place home found that someone had broken the outside electric meter with a blunt object. Police are investigating.
5:54 p.m. – A Rt. 21 speeder was stopped and found to be suspended as well as having a $750 active warrant. Ruben Rosario, 24, of Riverdale, who was able to post the required bail, was summonsed and released.
Oct. 24
12:52 a.m. – Police stopped a speeding car on Rt. 21 and found the driver, 31-year-old Wilson Gonzalez of North Bergen, to be wanted by the Department of Immigration. He was issued several summonses, held in lieu of $1,000 bail and turned over to ICE officials.
6:20 – A Union Ave. store owner reported that several individuals had entered the establishment and roamed around as if they were casing it. Two females left, but a man remained and attempted to purchase a pack of gum using a $100 bill. The manager declined the sale and notified police.
6:04 p.m. – A patron reported that he had lost a prescription bottle of Oxycodone while dining at a local eatery. He told police that he had just refilled a prescription and the bottle contained more than 100 pills.
Oct. 25
12:35 a.m.– Police were summoned to a noise complaint in the area of Kingsland and Darling Aves. Contractors at the site said the bank would not allow them to work during business hours and they were forced to work at night. Officers shut down the noisy part of their operation.
10:32 a.m. – A Harrison St. homeowner who had given a company a $5,000 deposit to have a fence installed said work has yet to commence. The homeowner wanted to document the incident in the event legal action was necessary.
11:03 a.m. – A resident reported that his car had been egged while parked on parked on Centre St.
Oct. 26
2:16 a.m. – Police responded to an Albany Ave. address when a tenant reported that her landlord was entering her apartment in her absence without permission. She was advised of her right to sign a complaint.
4:22 a.m. – What started out as a stabbing investigation, ended with criminal mischief charges. Police responded to Chilton Hospital in Pompton Lakes to talk with the alleged victim, 28-year-old Thomas Kerstner of Wayne. It was later determined that Kerstner had been patronizing an establishment in Nutley, when he was asked to leave. Detectives concluded that he had shattered a neighboring storefront window, leaving a blood trail behind. He was charged with 4th degree criminal mischief for the window, which was valued at $1,700.
8:44 a.m. – A Clover St. resident that reported that an inflatable lawn ornament was stolen from his property overnight.
1:51 p.m. – A Bloomfield Ave. business reported that two actors had stopped in front of the building and taken a satellite dish that was in a box. The business owner felt that the actors may have thought the dish was trash and he only wanted incident documented.
7:46 p.m. – A Prospect St. resident reported Halloween lawn ornaments stolen from in front of their home.
11:13 p.m. – A random license plate check on a 1995 Chevy on Washington Ave. revealed that the registered owner was suspended and wanted for outstanding warrants out of East Orange and Lyndhurst. Travis Dunn, 23, of East Orange was arrested and was later released after posting bail and receiving summonses.
Oct. 27
2:48 a.m. – A broken side-view mirror on a passing vehicle caught the attention of a patrol officer who initiated a traffic stop on Park Ave. The driver, Christoph Nazzaretto, 23, of Nutley, turned to have an active warrant out of Maywood. He was transported to headquarters where he posted bail and was issued a summons.
10:23 a.m. – A Nutley resident reported that 57 fraudulent charges, totaling more than $2,600, had been placed on their credit card within the Nutley/Clifton area from September through October. Police are investigating.
2:24 p.m. – A Nutley florist almost became a victim of fraud. He said he had been advised that a shipment of flowers, due from a distributor, were on hold at JFK Airport after a scanning device discovered $4.1 million inside the box. The florist was then sent an email from an alleged FBI agent requesting him to contact them. Police are investigating.
