The Nutley Police Department has credited Bloomfield PD with making a collar about an hour after a residential burglary on Daily St. on the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Police said they responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a Daily St. location, at 1:44 p.m., from the resident who, police said, was hiding in a bedroom at the time.
The resident told police he was sitting on his living room couch when he spotted a man peek around the corner from the kitchen. When the intruder realized someone was home, he escaped from an unlocked rear window, from which he’d entered, police said.
Arriving minutes after getting the call, police said they canvassed the area and managed to get a neighbor’s description of the vehicle the intruder used to make his getaway. Police then put out a broadcast over SPEN of the burglary and the car’s description as an older model white 4-door vehicle.
At 2:30 p.m., police said Det. Lt. Joseph Krentz and Det. Sgt. Michael Sisco, both of Bloomfield P.D., spotted a vehicle matching the description broadcast earlier by Nutley P.D. with two occupants emerging from a cul de sac off Hoover Ave. just over the border into Bloomfield and tried to pull it over near Plymouth Court but police said the driver tried to elude the detectives through evasive maneuvers.
After a brief chase, police said the detectives pulled over the white Buick in the 200 block of E. Passaic Ave. where the passenger, later identified as Davon Harrington, 23, of Newark, tried to run away but was caught by Lt. Krentz.
At the same time, police said, the driver, identified as Khalil Gilliam 19, of Newark, ran into a yard on E. Passaic with Sgt. Sisco in pursuit. Police said Gilliam climbed over an eight-foot fence where Sisco lost sight of him.
But, as other officers from Bloomfield, Nutley, Belleville, Clifton PDs and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department converged on the scene and joined in the search of rear yards, police said Bloomfield Police Officer Hector Cartagena spotted Gilliam crossing over Hoover Ave., from east to west, and radioed the suspect’s position to other units in the area.
At that point, police said Bloomfield P.O. Michael Falco located Gilliam and began chasing him, finally apprehending him in a rear yard on Pake St. in Nutley.
Nutley PD said they later discovered that Gilliam had approached another house on Daily St. and rang the bell, allegedly intending to burglarize that home but was apparently scared off and Bloomfield PD said that after interviewing the two suspects and gathering evidence, they concluded that the same two men were tied to a burglary committed on Farmingdale Ave. earlier in the day.
In Nutley, police alleged that Harrington waited in the vehicle while Gilliam committed the burglary.
Gilliam was charged with two counts of burglary by Nutley PD; he was additionally charged by Bloomfield PD with two counts of burglary, theft of movable property, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and conspiracy.
Harrington was charged with two counts of burglary, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
Nutley bail for each suspect was set at $50,000 and a court date is pending, police said.
Nutley Police Chief Tom Strumolo commended all the officers involved and Bloomfield PD, in particular, and Nutley Mayor/Public Safety Director Alphonse Petracco concurred.
Nutley PD also logged the following incidents during the past week:
Jan. 18
At 10:55 a.m., police got a report that a resident’s vehicle was damaged while parked at a River Road location. Police said the driver’s side view mirror was cracked and its housing was cracked. Police said the rear housing of a passenger side view mirror was found in the road.
Jan. 19
Police said a proposed sale of merchandise went sour after the seller allegedly got only part of the agreed-upon purchase price. The victim told police they’d posted on Craigs list an offer to sell two Mac Books for $2,000. After getting a phone call from a prospective buyer, the victim arranged to meet with two men, both African American, between 25 and 30, one heavy-set and bald with a beard, the other with dreadlocks. But the pair gave the victim only $134 in cash, took the Mac Books and drove away, police said.
The report was logged at 1:40 p.m. Detectives are investigating.
At 4:35 p.m., the owner of a vehicle parked in the parking lot of a River Road condominium complex told police someone had keyed their vehicle along the passenger side.
Jan. 21
At 7:38 a.m., the owner of a vehicle parked on High St. called police to report that someone had stolen both license plates from their vehicle and had taken their registration from a warranty folder in the glove box. Police said the vehicle was locked and there was no sign of forced entry.
Jan. 23
Police received a report of an apparent utility scam at 9:35 a.m. from a resident who reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be a PSE&G representative about an outstanding balance of $497.23 on their account. The alleged representative – who had the victim’s account number, Social Security number and other personal information – told the victim that if they didn’t pay the balance within an hour, their service would be cut off. Police said the victim had an outstanding balance but had arranged a payment plan with PSE&G. Nevertheless, police said the victim was instructed by the alleged utility representative to purchase a Money Pack credit card from a CVS to make the payment, which the victim did, via telephone. Police said the victim didn’t realize they’d been scammed until after receiving a bill weeks later from PSE&G warning customers to watch for scams like the one perpetrated on the victim. Police said PSE&G confirmed that the victim had been defrauded. Police said they tried to reach the scammer via telephone, only to get a voice mail stating that they’d reached a Magic Jack phone service.
Police said a black Scion driving east on Kingsland St., at 10:33 a.m., got their attention because of an item obstructing the driver’s view hanging from the rear view mirror. Police said they stopped the vehicle, whose driver, they learned, had an active warrant from Weehawken. Kernley Saint-Victor, 24, of Nutley, was arrested on the warrant, issued a summons charging him with obstructed view of windshield and advised to contact the Weehawken Municipal Court for a new court date.
Jan. 24
While on patrol on River Road, at 3:16 a.m., police said they noticed a vehicle pulled over to the side of the road with its brake lights on and the driver asleep behind the wheel with the vehicle in drive. Police charged the driver, Ryan Dennis, 34, of East Brunswick, with DWI, careless driving and driving with a suspended license. He was released pending a mandatory court appearance.
– Ron Leir
