Onnjii Campbell
NUTLEY –
Nutley police quickly apprehended a 27-yearold Newark man they said was responsible for several early morning break-ins Saturday.
Police arrested 27-year-old Onnjii Campbell and charged him with burglary, theft and possession of burglary tools, in addition to criminal attempt.
Police gave the following account of the incident that led to Campbell’s arrest.
Police said they received a call Saturday at 4:49 a.m. from a woman claiming a man was chasing another man north on Bloomfield Ave. When police arrived, they said they found a victim of a home burglary, who had run after the intruder after finding him in his home moments earlier.
Police said the homeowner described the intruder as tall, thin black man wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt.
Police said the resident was barefoot and still in sleep attire when he told police he lost sight of suspect after hurting himself running on stones at the intersection of Bloomfield and Kingsland Aves.
Later, Nutley and Bloomfield patrol units saturated the area and contacted the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, requesting K-9 assistance.
The dog, police said, was able to track a scent to an Alexander Ave. location, where officers observed a man fitting the victim’s description.
After a short foot pursuit, police said they apprehended Campbell.
Detectives said they learned Campbell allegedly attempted to burglarize a Brookdale Ave. home, where he was unable to gain entry, and a Bloomfield Ave. home, where he gained entry and took off with the resident’s purse.
Mayor Alphonse Petracco said it’s extremely unusual for a burglar to enter an occupied home during early morning hours, and he said the homeowner was lucky he didn’t get hurt chasing after the suspect. Campbell was unarmed, but there was no way to know he wasn’t at the time. Petracco also said that while the homeowner in this case showed extreme courage, it’s better not to chase after suspects — leave that to police.
Meanwhile, Chief Thomas Strumolo commended all the officers involved in this case for their swift apprehension of Campbell.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.