On Oct. 20, a Kearny man reported to police that, two days earlier, he had returned from work to find several items missing from his home near the Belleville Pike. Stolen were a PlayStation, several pieces of jewelry — and a 9 mm. Browning Hi-Power automatic pistol, a weapon police said he legally possessed.
Det. Scott Traynor interviewed the victim and developed suspects, and on Oct. 22, Traynor, Det. Sgt. John View and members of the Vice Unit took into custody two individuals: Daniel Tammaro, 18, and Michael Petrozzino, 21, both of Kearny.
Tammaro was charged with theft, conspiracy to commit the theft of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Petrozzino was charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit theft of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
The investigation is continuing. Police said the gun was not recovered and has been entered into National Crime Information Center database as a stolen firearm.
Other recent reports from the KPD blotter included the following:
Oct. 18
After Kearny police received information from U.S. Marshals and the N.J. State Parole Board that an individual they were seeking was believed to be frequenting Kearny, Det. Mike Gonzalez located the suspect at 4:30 p.m. near Pleasant Place and West Bennett Ave. He and Det. Ray Lopez arrested 31-year-old Bayonne resident Jeffrey Plummer on a parole violation warrant. Plummer was remanded to the Hudson County Jail, where he was to be transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Oct. 19
Pursuant to an Oct. 8 theft of an iPad, PlayStation and several power tools from a Forest St. home, Det. Lopez took into custody 28-yearold North Arlington resident Jhoan Monocada. During a search incident to the arrest, police reportedly found documents linking him to the stolen property. Monocada was charged with theft.
Oct. 20
Responding to a report of a 3:30 a.m. multi-vehicle accident at Devon St. and Johnston Ave., Officer Michael Santucci found that two cars parked on Devon had been hit and one of them had been pushed onto the sidewalk. The vehicle that had stuck them apparently fled north on Devon and into West Hudson Park.
Officer Ben Wuelfing spotted the 1998 Nissan, reportedly with recent and extensive damage, and stopped it at Schuyler Ave. and Dukes St. Police said the driver, Richard Marrero, 19, of Garfield, smelled of alcohol and that there was an odor of marijuana in the car, along with a plastic bag containing suspected pot.
Marrero was charged with: Possession of marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia; operating a motor vehicle while in possession of a CDS; DWI; DWI under the age of 21; reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Oct. 22
At 3:45 p.m., Officer Chris Medina responded to the report of an unconscious man in the area of Third St. in South Kearny. Police said the injured party, a 54-yearold Flushing, N.Y., resident, apparently was the victim of an ongoing turf war between independent vendors who sell hats, gloves and other merchandise from the trunks of their cars.
Words had led to blows, KPD Chief John Dowie said, and the victim was slugged four times with a baseball bat. An ambulance was summoned and he was taken to University Hospital in Newark.
Det. Lopez interviewed witnesses and, based on his investigation, developed as a suspect Fuzhen Pan, 44, of Jersey City. A warrant for Pan’s arrest on charges including aggravated assault has been issued.
Oct. 23
Officer John Travelino was on patrol at Chestnut St. and West Hudson Park at 3:45 p.m. when he observed an individual he knew to be wanted, police said. After confirming that the man had five outstanding warrants — four from Kearny and one from Harrison — he took into custody 49-year-old Arthur Smith, formerly of no known address, subsequently residing in the Hudson County Jail.
At 9:30 p.m., members of the Kearny Fire Department reported a disorderly person on Maple St. behind the Kearny Ave. firehouse. Officer Jay Ward responded and reportedly found “a highly intoxicated” 56-year-old Patrick Burns of Kearny. Ward and backup Officer Frank West arrested Burns, who, police said, continued to be combative and profane. Given his condition, an ambulance was summoned to take him to Clara Maass Medical Center. He was charged with disorderly conduct.
–Karen Zautyk
