Aug. 23
A cab driver called police at 11:38 p.m. to report he’d been stiffed on a $20 fare by a passenger he’d dropped off at a Washington Avenue location. Police said the rider told them he didn’t have the money to pay the fare.
At 7:41 p.m. a woman told police she was being harassed and threatened by someone calling via cell phone.
Responding to a report of solicitors in the area of Woodland Avenue and Race Street at 5:05 p.m., police were told that an unknown man came to the door asking if he had a security system. Asked which company he was working for, the solicitor gave the resident a business card for Bergen County Technical Schools and then quickly left. Police are investigating.
At 3:55 p.m. a Parallel Street resident reported that someone had “egged” his vehicle.
Police came upon two men going door to door at Satterthwaite Avenue and Walnut Street at 1:04 p.m. and, when approached, said they were soliciting for construction work. Police advised them they needed a solicitation permit to do that.
At 3:06 a.m. a Myrtle Avenue resident called police to report that juveniles were in her back yard. Police said the youths had gone before they arrived.
A Beech Street resident called police after someone rang her doorbell at 1:49 a.m. Looking out the window, the resident reported seeing an unknown man walking toward a dark color sedan. A police search of the area was unavailing.
Aug. 22
Police are investigating a suspected scam reported at 2:42 p.m. by a resident who reported getting a phone call from someone claiming she’d won money in a sweepstakes and then asking her to pay $800 to collect the prize money. Instead, the resident alerted police.
At 12:04 p.m. a woman phoned police to report she was followed by someone driving a black Nissan Altima with a Florida license plate while she was walking at Washington and Hancox avenues. She said the driver pulled over and asked for directions and then asked if she lived in the area before driving away. Police checked the area but couldn’t locate the vehicle.
Police stopped a car operated by Randy Valverde, 24, of Belleville, after observing him driving at an excessive rate of speed along Rt. 21 at 9:17 a.m. Valverde, who was ticketed for speeding, was arrested after being found to have an outstanding warrant from Newark. He was freed after posting bail.
An unknown man rang a Howard Place resident’s doorbell at 7:15 a.m. but when the resident didn’t open the door, the man walked to a white van with a female inside and they drove away, police said.
At 12:32 a.m. someone tried to open the door to the Veterans of Foreign Wars post hall on Washington Avenue while the hall was closed, a caller told police.
Aug. 21
Police reported a suspected fraud involving a victim who told them they tried using their debit card at a coffee shop only to be declined. The victim then went to their bank and found that two withdrawals had been made from their account for more than $8,000. Police said the bank will be investigating. The incident was logged at 1:29 p.m.
Someone stole the poor box from inside Holy Family Church on Brookline Avenue, police said. Police said the box contained about $30 in cash but the box itself, which is made of bronze, is valued at more than $400. The theft was reported at 10:02 a.m.
At 12:24 a.m. a Harrison Street tenant was awakened by a loud bang from outside. Police, arriving soon after, found the front door shattered, causing $600 in damages. Witnesses told police they saw some juveniles in the area heading to Belleville and police alerted Belleville P.D. after securing the door and notifying the landlord.
Aug. 19
An employee at a Franklin Avenue business spotted a large black man in a silver jacket rummaging through the employee’s Honda parked in back of the business at 1 p.m. The man was startled and fled.
Aug. 17
A South Spring Garden Avenue resident called police at 7:49 p.m. to report a tree limb had fallen and damaged the gutter on the side of the resident’s home. Police said an arrangement was made between the two neighbors to remedy the problem.
