A police investigation of a shoplifting that occurred on May 15 on Franklin Ave. led to the arrest of Michelle Zaccardo, 46, of Belleville, on shoplifting charges, the Nutley Police Department said.
Detectives were assigned to investigate an incident where a woman entered a Franklin Ave. establishment and allegedly tried to use a fraudulent credit card. When the cashier said the card was not valid, Zaccardo reportedly fled with several cartons of cigarettes.
Store surveillance showed her entering an older model gold sedan, police said.
Police said an area alert was issued for Zaccardo and she ultimately turned herself into police.
Zaccardo was also charged in other towns for similar thefts.
Meanwhile, the NPD released the following reports of incidents that took place between May 14 and May 21:
May 14
Officers responded to Stager St., where a victim said an unknown person stole their wicker furniture valued at $1,500 from the front porch of their home. The wicker furniture consisted of a chair, rocker, love seat and coffee table with a glass top.
Police are investigating this and other incidents in the area.
May 15
A motor vehicle stop on Passaic Ave. resulted in the arrest of Nicholas McGuiness, 29, of Nutley, on an outstanding Nutley warrant. He was transported to headquarters without incident and able to post the appropriate bail. McGuiness was also issued two motor vehicle summonses for failure to observe a stop or yield sign and notification of change of residence before being released.
May 16
A motor vehicle stop on Rt. 21 led to the arrest of a 19-year-old Haledon woman.
Police said the stop was initiated because the car was traveling at a high rate of speed. While speaking to the driver and explaining the reason for the stop, officers said they smelled raw marijuana.
Inside the vehicle, police said they discovered baggies containing a green, leafy substance that later tested positive for marijuana.
Vanessa McCarthy was placed into custody and transported to HQ without incident. She was issued a traffic summons for speeding and was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, printed, processed and released on her own recognizance with a court date.
May 17
Officers conducted a motor vehicle stop on River Road and were advised by HQ that the driver, Freda Valle, 40, of Bloomfield, had an outstanding warrant out of Bloomfield. She was placed under arrest and transported to HQ without incident. Valle was issued a Nutley summons for obstruction of a windshield for vision and was able to post the appropriate bail required for the Bloomfield warrant. She was advised to contact the Bloomfield Municipal Court for a new court date before she was transported back to her vehicle.
Officers pulled over a beige Toyota on Washington Ave. and later discovered a “grinder” containing a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana. Brandon Barrett, 24, of Kearny, was placed under arrest and transported to HQ without incident. Barrett was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, for which he was issued summonses.
Additionally, he received two motor vehicle summonses for failure to signal a lane change and possession of CDS in motor vehicle.
He was processed, given copies of the summonses and released from custody.
May 19
Police checking on a vehicle with brake lights malfunctioning on Bloomfield Ave. determined the driver had a suspended license and an outstanding Newark warrant. Arrested was Tigua Knight, 36, of Newark. She was later released on her own recognizance pending a new court date.
— Kevin Canessa Jr.
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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.