Two Kearny adults suspected of engaging in a drug transaction were arrested on the night of Feb. 9.
At 5 p.m. the Kearny Police Department vice squad observed a man passing drugs to a woman in the area of Forest St.
The squad followed the woman to Lyndhurst where they stopped and searched her. After finding Percocet on her, the cops charged her with possession of CDS.
Squad members then returned to Kearny and confronted the 29-year-old man whom they’d previously seen on Forest St.He was placed under arrest and a search of his residence uncovered 73 oxycontin pills, eight Xanex pills, and two suboxone tablets. The male was charged with possession of a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance and distribution within a school zone and a park zone.
Two days later, Det. Mike Gonzalez observed a 26-year-old Kearny resident acting disorderly in the Quik Chek parking lot. An hour earlier, Gonzalez had given the same man a summons on Belgrove Drive for drinking in public. After running a warrant check on the man, he was found to have outstanding warrants from East Newark and Harrison. Sidnei Antunes was taken into custody and booked for the outstanding warrants.
Later that day, police received a report of a robbery at the Street Smart Clothing store on Passaic Ave. An employee had engaged thPolice said an employee approached three female customers, only to be punched in the face. All three then fled the store carrying female undergarments and other items. Officers Caesar Negron, T.J. Hernandez, and James Mackintosh obtained a description and direction of flight. Negron went to Passaic Ave., where he received information that the females had crossed the Clay St. bridge, and had boarded a bus near the Burger King on Broad St. in Newark. Negron boarded the bus in the area of Mt. Prospect Ave. and found two of the female passengers fitting the description. Both females were taken off the bus and detained. The employee was brought to the scene by Det. John Plaugic, and both were positively identified and transported back to Kearny. Two Newark females, 22-year-old Norma Torresolivieri and 18-yearold Leslie Sanchez, were charged with robbery and conspiracy. Bail was set at $50,000 each.
In the early morning of Feb. 12, Officers Ben Wuelfing and Jason Ward responded to a report of a disorderly group in the 700 block of Chestnut St. and found several adults and juveniles carrying on in the middle of the street. Near the group, the officers observed a Volkswagon with a driver inside, and the officers observed his eyes were watery and bloodshot and detected the odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle. When the driver was asked for credentials, he was unable to produce registration. Initially, he denied he’d been drinking but then admitted having several beers, cops said. The officers noted that the driver, 18-year-old Belleville resident Eduardo Silva, was underage and placed under arrest. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and given tickets for driving under the influence, failure to display registration, and underage driving while intoxicated.
On Feb. 14 at 2:30 p.m. Officer Mike Andrews, on patrol in the area of Kearny and Woodland Aves., spotted a man he knew had an outstanding warrant from Kearny. The man was then picked up by a woman driver. Andrews followed the car into East Newark where, after confirming a warrant was indeed issued, he pulled the car over. After a check of the motor vehicle, Andrews learned that the operator/owner of the car had a suspended license. Officer Jay Ward responded as backup and placed both under arrest. The driver, 25-year-old Harrison resident Natalie Martinez, was charged with driving with a suspended license, driving with a suspended registration, and failing to surrender her driver’s license to the DMV. The male, 28-year-old Ramiro Hernandez, of East Newark , was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia in addition to the warrants.
On Feb 17, Officers Angelo Palagano and Mike Santucci responded to the area of Highland and Quincy Aves. around 12:30 a.m. on a report of a female dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt acting suspicious. Searching the area, the cops found the woman on Brighton Ave. The officers searched a backpack she was carrying and found two GPS units that she couldn’t account for. Officers activated the units and tracked one to a Highland Ave. residence. Officers Ben Wuelfing and Chris Medina responded with the GPS to the Highland Ave. residence and confirmed with the owner that his GPS was in fact missing from his vehicle and that the one they had belonged to him. Once confirmed stolen, the woman, 26-year-old Jolene Brito of Little Ferry, was placed under arrest. Brito was charged with receiving stolen property and attempted burglary. A followup investigation as to the origin of the second GPS is still underway.
-Anthony J. Machcinski
