Onajii Campbell
KEARNY –
A 26-year-old Newark man, Onajii Campbell, has been charged in connection with two overnight break-ins that occurred here in May. Those charges — two counts of burglary and two counts of theft — were filed after Kearny detectives interviewed him at the Essex County Jail, where Campbell has been incarcerated since Nutley authorities collared him for similar crimes in that town in June, KPD Chief John Dowie said.
Dowie said the first Kearny burglary was reported May 19 at a home on the 100 block of Washington Ave., where the thief gained entry via a window and made off with a camera, a purse and currency. The residents were at home but were unaware of the break-in until they woke up in the morning.
The following night, a burglary occurred at a commercial establishment on the 200 block of Kearny Ave., where cash was stolen from an office. There, police said, the burglar climbed the fire escape and entered through a second-floor window. This time, they said, he was caught on security video.
During their follow-up investigations, Kearny Detectives John Plaugic and Michael Farinola drew the connection between their suspect and Campbell, whom the Nutley PD arrested in early June.
According to reports, Campbell was nabbed after one Nutley victim awakened to find the suspect in his home and chased him down Bloomfield Ave.
With the help of an Essex County Sheriff ’s K-9, Nutley and Bloomfield patrols tracked Campbell to the area of Alexander Ave. and took him into custody following a foot pursuit, police said.
Essex County Corrections Department records indicate that Campbell is currently being held on $150,000 bail.
