A meeting of a young man and woman in a municipal park was interrupted by an attack last Tuesday night, Nutley PD said.
Police were called, at 11:45 p.m., by the parent of an 18-year-old Passaic Park man who told officers he was the victim of an assault while he was in Nichols Park and, afterwards, was taken to Hackensack Hospital Medical Center where he was interviewed by police.
The young man told officers he was spending time there with a 16-year-old Nutley girl when he was attacked with a log and branches, threatened and robbed of his clothes.
After further investigation, a few days after the incident, detectives arrested 22-year-old Seandell Stark of Paramus on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and terroristic threats. Bail was set at $50,000.
Police believe that the girl lured the victim to the park where Stark allegedly was hiding and waiting and that the two men had a history and knew each other.
Police Chief Thomas Strumolo commended the actions of the investigating officers and Mayor/Police Director Alphonse Petracco said he welcomed the news that the victim was recovering.
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In other incidents between May 2 and 8, Nutley PD responded to 25 motor vehicle accidents, 50 medical calls, 12 disputes and these matters:
May 2
A Wharton Ave. resident reported finding their west side basement window open, lock unlatched and the window shattered. Police observed damage to a vehicle parked in the driveway next to the window, possibly caused by a metal object, but noticed no damage to the interior and no entry made.
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A shoplifter walked out of a Harrison St. store with $150.56 worth of merchandise, police said. The store manager told police a man about 6 feet, wearing a white baseball style shirt with dark sleeves, a baseball cap and sneakers with white bottoms, carrying a backpack, was seen walking through the aisle with razor blades, placing items into the backpack and exiting the store, thereby activating the security alarm.
May 3
An intruder tried to break into a Glendale St. residence but failed, the owners told police. A rear window screen was tampered with, causing $30 in damage, police said.
May 4
Someone scrawled graffiti on a wall near the waterfall at Nichols Park, police said. The Parks & Recreation Department was alerted and asked to remove it.
May 6
Police responded to Centre St. on a report of an overturned vehicle with a trapped occupant. As officers approached the vehicle, which they found unoccupied, a man approached and identified himself as the driver and said he freed himself through the sunroof. After further checking, police charged Keith Connolly, 34, of Nutley, with DWI, careless driving and refusal to consent to take an Alcotest.
May 7
A De Vausney Place homeowner reported finding paint – apparently splatter from a paint ball gun – on the front of the house. Further investigation showed holes in the siding to the right of the front steps with a pellet inside one of the holes – holes that police said, were apparently made by an Air Soft gun.
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Responding to a dispute in Kingsland Park, police checked two individuals for any active warrants and learned that Marilyn Colorado, 43, of Nutley, had such a warrant from Clifton. After her arrest, police said a search of Colorado turned up 10 glassine envelopes with suspected heroin and a glass pipe commonly used to smoke crack cocaine, with CDS residue inside. She was charged with possession of CDS and drug paraphernalia.
May 8
A Passaic Ave. resident reported that someone had damaged the driver’s side fender of their parked vehicle. Spotting a brown table lying next to the car, the resident surmised that the furniture was thrown at their vehicle.
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Someone stole a white Cadillac while it was parked in a Centre St. driveway during the night. The owner told police they believed they had locked the vehicle after parking it.
– Ron Leir
