Toppled tree limbs, several brought down by a drenching storm, caused havoc in the township recently.
Nutley PD reported four such incidents that happened over two days within the past week.
Three occurred on May 31, police said.
In the first incident, officers were sent to a Warren St. location on a report of a tree branch falling on a parked unoccupied vehicle. During the rainstorm, a large branch crashed through the rear window, shattering it, and damaging the roof.
Next, police said, a large tree limb outside the Nutley Public Library broke off during the storm and fell onto the foot path. In the process, it took down a live electric wire and crushed a hand rail on the path. Police set up barriers to block off the area and PSE&G, along with Shade Tree personnel, were alerted.
The next episode, which took place at the corner of Woodland Ave. and Race St., again involved a downed tree limb and overhead wires. Upon arrival, officers observed a large tree limb, having pulled down a nonelectric holding cable attached to a telephone pole, which snapped in the process. PSE&G secured the pole and a Shade Tree crew removed the branch.
Then, on June 2, police responded to a Centre St. location where they found a large tree limb lying across the eastbound lane of the street. Police said the branch fell between two vehicles but had not caused any visible damage to either vehicle. Emergency responders cleared the debris.
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Between May 30 and June 5, Nutley PD responded to 25 motor vehicle accidents, 38 medical calls and 15 disputes/ suspicious incidents, plus the following:
May 30
A motor vehicle stop conducted on North Road resulted in the arrest of Adriano Roman, 26, of Newark, on charges of DWI, speeding, careless driving, failure to wear a seatbelt and refusal to take an Alcotest.
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A motorist told police that as they were traveling north on Bloomfield Ave., they noticed a foul ball hit from a nearby baseball field coming in their direction. They tried to avoid being hit but the ball struck the windshield on the driver’s side. No injury to the driver was reported.
May 31
A patrol unit traveling on Hancox Ave. spotted someone who appeared to be in need of assistance in Flora Louden Park. After talking to the individual, police discovered Michele Iannitelli, 36, of Belleville, was wanted on a warrant from Hoboken. After being checked by EMS and declining further medical attention, Iannitelli posted bail on the warrant and was released pending a Hoboken Municipal Court appearance.
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Bloomfield Ave. residents reported a burglary and theft of a 13-inch Silver Apple Macbook Air laptop, taken from a dining room table in their home. Police said they found no sign of forced entry and nothing else disturbed or removed.
June 1
A Wayne Place resident reported that their home was being used as part of a scam for people wanting to rent the home after a prospective tenant showed up, unannounced, on the strength of an email from a phony agent.
June 2
A Kingsland Ave. resident received a hand-written letter from someone expressing interest in buying their home “as is” with a quick real estate closing. Police said the letter, which listed a name and phone number as contact information, was a fraud. Police said the contact number was no longer in service and there was no return address on the envelope.
June 3
An Ackerman St. resident reported that his vehicle has been damaged repeatedly by an unknown vandal. Police observed many scratches, likely done by a sharp knife, all over the car, along with several dings on the body of the car and on the windshield.
– Ron Leir
