March 15
A stolen motor vehicle was recovered at the corner of Mill and Clinton Sts. at 3:38 p.m. Police were detailed there after a neighbor reported a car parked at that location. After running the plates on the grey 2007 BMW 50L, the vehicle came back as having been stolen from Elizabeth, N.J. on March 14. The vehicle’s interior had been stripped almost completely, with only the driver’s seat still remaining.
A resource officer visiting the junior high school at 279 Washington Ave. noticed a 13-year-old male seated near the office wearing a backpack. In one of its mesh pockets, a silver folding knife was clearly visible. When the officer confronted the youth, he said, “The knife’s not mine. Someone put it in there.” The boy was arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon in an educational institution and transported to headquarters. He was later released to his parents.
At 5:35 p.m., the CVS store at 519 Washington Ave. reported a shoplifting. When police arrived, store personnel told the officers that a Hispanic male wearing blue jeans, a black cap and black jacket left the store without paying for items. He was last seen crossing Washington Ave and heading south. Shortly thereafter police saw a man fitting that description near the intersection of Washington and Little Sts. A female store detective told police, “That’s the guy that shoplifted from our store.” The man was stopped as he was walking north through a parking lot at 140 Little St. A large bulge from the front of his shirt revealed eight Glade air fresheners and twelve packs of Trident chewing gum – a total value of $78. The man, 38-year-old Jose Rodriguez of Newark was arrested and charged with shoplifting. His bail was set at $200. Rodriguez was also found to have an outstanding Newark warrant for $5000 and a Harrison warrant for $100.
March 14
At 10:21 p.m., a burglary and theft was reported at 8 Nolton St. Police were told by the homeowner that the following items were found missing: A Sony PlayStation game valued at $200; A PS2 valued at $150; three Wii games valued at $300 in total; and an HP Pavilion G6 laptop valued at $500. Police are investigating.
March 11
At 3:05 a.m., police were sent to 91 Heckle St. on a report of a disturbance. When they arrived, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. While there, however, a bar patron flagged them down and told them that her blue 2001 Windstar van had been stolen from a parking spot at 80 Heckle St.
March 10
Police were called at 12:50 a.m. and told that a black male with a full beard wearing a blue sweatshirt had just pointed a handgun at two males and a woman at Walgreens at 325 Washington Ave. A unit traveling south on Washington Ave. encountered a male fitting that exact description standing at the corner of Joralemon Ave. and Washington Ave. Two officers exited the vehicle with weapons drawn and ordered the man to raise his hands over his head and get on the ground. He didn’t comply. Officers noticed the handle of a black handgun sticking out of the left side of the sweatshirt’s front pocket and again ordered the man to get on the ground. When he didn’t comply this time, officers tackled him to the ground and removed what turned out to be a 9mm Luger handgun from his person. The weapon, with a defaced serial number, was carrying seven rounds in its magazine. 35-year-old Daryl Henry of Newark was arrested and transported to headquarters. He was charged with possession of a weapon, certain persons not to have a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, possession of a defaced weapon, and armed robbery.
At 9:41 a.m., a vehicle was reported stolen at 25 Holmes St. The man told police that he had parked his silver 1999 A6 wagon across the street from his house the night before. A Ryobi drill worth $80 was in the car. The vehicle was later recovered in Newark.
-Jeff Bahr
