An out-of-town motorist mistook a uniformed Kearny police officer for a service station attendant, police said. Gerard Jenkins, 39, of Jersey City, drove his Ford Explorer into Tullo’s truck stop, Rts. 1&9 and Jacobus Avenue, at 4 p.m. on Oct. 20 and tried several times to position his truck close to the gas pump, police said. Watching Jenkins struggle with his vehicle, Officer John Fabula – in uniform, having just come from an investigation of a motor vehicle accident in South Kearny – tapped on the driver’s window to see if he was OK, only to have Jenkins reply: “I’ll have $20 of regular,” according to police. Fabula detected a strong odor of alcohol from the driver, whose eyes were bloodshot, police said. A computer check revealed that Jenkins had three outstanding warrants, all from Jersey City. He was arrested on the warrants and was issued tickets for DWI, driving while suspended, failure to surrender a suspended license and careless driving. In other incidents logged by Kearny police during the past week:
Oct. 20
At 6:40 a.m. police found a 2009 Dodge with its motor running and headlights on in the weeds near the Rt. 280 ramp off Harrison Ave. and its driver, Rahchedda Harolerode, 25, of Newark, walking near the vehicle. Police illuminated the area with flares for safety since there was a dense fog and escorted the driver off the roadway. Police said Harolerode smelled of alcohol and couldn’t explain how she got there. Harolderode, who had an outstanding Newark warrant, was charged with DWI, reckless driving and failure to keep to the right. Her car was towed.
Oct. 19
At 6 p.m. police arrested Alexander Harkes, 28, and Stephanie Dealmeida, 25, both of Kearny, at Johnston and Grant avenues on warrants charging both with criminal attempted burglary to a motor vehicle on Belgrove Drive on Oct. 11. Harkes had been previously picked up on Oct. 13 on a warrant charging him with criminal attempted burglary to a motor vehicle receiving stolen property and improper use of a credit card in connection with a burglary and theft involving a Dodge pickup parked in the 100 block of Chestnut Street Police said someone had tampered with the door lock and had removed a wallet containing a driver’s license and credit cards. Police later traced one of the credit cards to $318 in purchases made at a Grant Avenue business in East Newark.
Oct. 18
Erratic driving by an out-of- town motorcyclist led to his arrest. Police said Jovan Walker, 21, of Bloomfield, was observed passing vehicles on the right along Kearny Avenue at 3 p.m. and was stopped at the Seeley Ave. intersection. Walker was arrested on an outstanding Wall Township warrant and was ticketed for driving with a suspended New York license and improper passing.
Miya Terry, 22, of Union, made a scheduled appearance in Kearny Municipal Court at 9:30 a.m. but, according to police, she used a stolen car to get there. Once she arrived in court, however, police were waiting for her with an arrest warrant from Hillside, where a 2012 Nissan Ultima had been reported stolen on Oct. 4. Police said the Nissan was found parked on Kearny Avenue near the Municipal Building and the key to the Nissan was found on Terry, who was charged with theft by unlawful taking. Terry was in court on an unrelated matter.
Oct. 16
A Newark motorist was stopped at 6 p.m. on Lincoln Ave. where Kearny vice squad detectives questioned him about a recent suspected drug transaction. Police said the driver, Brian Kinney, 30, then turned over two bags of cocaine to the officers. Kinney was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
Oct. 14
Police responded to Kearny and Bergen avenues. at 3 p.m. on a report of a street fight. After the victim gave officers a description of his attackers and their direction of flight, police began a search and found one of the youths matching the description on Davis Avenue. That 17-year-old boy was identified by the victim and was charged with disorderly conduct, police said.
At 4 a.m. police were called to the Dunkin’ Donuts on Kearny Ave. on a report of a disturbance. There, police said, they found Sidnei Antunas, 26, of Kearny, screaming and cursing at the proprietor, saying: “You gonna call the cops on me, I’ll get you!” Antunas then informed officers, “Lock me the f— up,” and they did. He was charged with disorderly conduct. On Oct. 12, Antunas had been arrested at Kearny and Garfield aves. on an outstanding Harrison warrant, police said.
Oct. 13
At 7:30 p.m. police were called to a Trinity Place residence whose occupant reported the house to have been struck by some type of projectiles. After finding the rear of the house covered by numerous paintball splatters, police canvassed the area and got the name of a suspect seen in the area. Around the corner, in a driveway in the 400 block of Highland Ave., police found Brandon Ryan, 18, of Kearny, and recovered a paintball gun from the rear of a Hyland Avenue residence. Ryan was charged with criminal mischief, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and possession of a destructive device. He was held at Hudson County Jail, Kearny, on $2,500 bail with a 10 percent cash option.
At 5:18 a.m. police said Officer Sean Kelly pulled over a woman driver at Davis Avenue and Tappan Street after her vehicle hit a parked car at the intersection, with the impact causing both of her vehicle’s airbags to deploy. Police said the driver, age 17, of Livingston, whose speech was slurred, told Kelly she’d drunk several beers at a party whose location she couldn’t remember. The teen was charged with DWI, DWI under the legal age, and careless driving.
An Edison driver who, police said, was found sound asleep behind the wheel of his vehicle, parked at Dukes Street and Schuyler Avenue with the engine running, at 3:10 a.m., was charged with DWI and refusing to take a Breathalyzer test. Police said Michael Zeigler, 24, was also found to have a suspended driver’s license. He was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and returned to headquarters.
