June 26
At about 6 p.m., at Chestnut St. and Wilson Ave., Officers John Fabula and Daniel Esteves arrested shoplifting suspect William Ferguson, 49, of Newark, who allegedly had just fled on foot from Rite Aid on Kearny Ave. Ferguson was found to have warrants from Kearny, Maplewood, North Arlington and Union — all for shoplifting. He was remanded to the Hudson County Jail.
Richard Stevens, 28, of Kearny, who was wanted by Lyndhurst, Newark and Stafford Township, managed to call attention to his presence at Tappan St. and Davis Ave. at 8:45 p.m. by urinating in public, police said. He was taken into custody by Officers Jordenson Jean and Frank West, was issued a town ordinance violation and turned over to the Lyndhurst PD.
June 27
At 2:30 a.m., Officers Tom Sumowski and Brian Wisely and Sgt. Mike O’Neill responded to a report of criminal mischief at Devon St. and Bergen Ave. and interviewed three people who had found their tires slashed. This was the start of “a plethora of reports” filed later that morning, Chief John Dowie said, when at least a dozen more parked cars were discovered similarly vandalized. Officer Steve Montanino took the later reports, and the case was turned over to Det. Michael Gonzalez, who is checking security videos from the area.
At noon, at Passaic Ave. and Belgrove Drive, the Vice Unit apprehended Jamal Coote, 27, of Kearny, after confirming he was the subject of a Harrison warrant, police said. After a search incident to arrest, he was also charged with possession of maijuana and drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $1,000.
Vice conducted another drug arrest at 3:30 p.m. at Belgrove Drive and Oakwood Ave., where John Sessa, 29, of Kearny, was allegedly found to be in possession of two plastic bags of suspected crack cocaine and a cigar laced with the drug. He was charged with possession of cocaine and paraphernalia and with being under the influence of a controlled substance.
June 28
Officer Mike Santucci, responding to a 4 a.m. report of an accident on Fish House Road, found a Dodge SUV had run off the road and into the weeds. He summoned medical aid for the unresponsive driver, Erika Fuentes, 37, of Jersey City, and for her female passenger. Both were taken to University Medical Center in Newark, where Fuentes’ blood was tested. She was subsequently charged with DWI, reckless driving and driving with an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
At 7:30 p.m., Walmart reported that a shoplifter had assaulted security personnel and then fled to a parked Ford SUV with Pennsylvania plates. Responding Officer Esteves issued a BOLO, and at 9 p.m., State Police stopped the vehicle as it was westbound on Rt. 280. Esteves and Det. Gonzalez transported the victims to the scene, where they reportedly identified Todd Gonzalez, 28, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., as the assailant. He was taken to KPD headquarters and charged with robbery.
Shortly after 10 p.m., Officers Santucci, Ben Wuelfing, Angelo Palagano and Tim Castle responded to Quick Chek at Kearny and Bergen Aves., where a large crowd had gathered and where they found a 32-year-old Kearny female who said two other women had assaulted her and taken a necklace.
When Wuelfing attempted to take suspect Yolanda Medina, 35, of Newark, into custody, police said, she had to be forcibly cuffed. Itzamar Medina, 30, of Kearny, allegedly tried to interefere, began yelling profanities and racial slurs, shoved and kicked Castle and resisted efforts to place her in a radio car.
Itzamar was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on an officer and one count each of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing the administration of law. Yolanda was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a governmental function. Both were charged with robbery.
In addition, police said each had an outstanding warrant: Itzamar’s from Kearny; Yolanda’s from Newark.
June 29
Officer Esteves, on patrol at Tappan and Devon Sts. at 4:30 p.m., observed Brian Schechter, 26, of Kearny, in a car, smoking what appeared to be a marijuana blunt. Schechter reportedly tried to discard it, but it was retrieved by the officer, and the suspect was susbsequently charged with possession of pot and paraphernalia and possession of a CDS in a motor vehicle.
June 30
Vice detectives, pursuant to an ongoing marijuana-trafficking investigation, developed information that an individual would be entering Kearny on foot from Harrison in possession of a substantial amount of the drug. At 7 p.m., they observed Christian Otero, 19, of Harrison on the footbridge at Devon St. and Johnston Ave. carrying a large white bag. Police said it contained four plastic bags of suspected pot, which, when weighed at headquarters, amounted to 126 grams. He was charged with possession of more than 50 grams of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute, possession/intent within 500 feet of a park, and possession of paraphernalia. Bail was set at $25,000.
July 1
At 3 a.m., Officer Wuelfing responded to Walmart, where security personnel were hunting a shoplifter at large in the store. Wuelfing located suspect Jean DelPeche, 19, of East Orange, who allegedly pushed him and tried to flee but was overtaken by the officer. DelPeche was charged with robbery and resisting arrest. Police said he also had two outstanding warrants, from East Orange and Newark.
At 4:30 p.m., at Passaic Ave. and the Belleville Pike, Det. Gonzalez found a station wagon stopped in traffic, its driver reportedly nodding off and incoherent.
Strawberry Mitchell, 27, of Birmingham, Ala., was allegedly found to be in possession of four folds of suspected heroin, stamped “Overdose.” She was charged with possession of the drug and paraphernalia and possession of drugs in a motor vehicle.
Officer John Travelino, at Kearny Ave. and Afton St. at 8:30 p.m., observed Andrew Worth, 22, of Kearny, who he knew to have a warrant. Police said Worth discarded three plastic bags and ran, pursued on foot by Travelino along Kearny Ave. to Halstead and Chestnut Sts. There, Officer Jay Ward blocked Worth’s flight with his radio car and the suspect was wrestled to the ground by both cops. He was charged with resisting arrest, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, possession of a prescription drug (two Klonopin pills), tampering with evidence, and on three Newark warrants.
– Karen Zautyk
