At 11 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, Sgt. Chris Levchak and Officers Michael Gontarczuk, Chris Medina and Chris Manolis responded to the Hamburgao restaurant on Kearny Ave. on a report of a customer passing counterfeit money and learned that an 18-year-old male had apparently bought a soda with a bill clearly marked “Not legal tender.”
“The situation was resolved with the simple gesture of having him pay for the soda with real money,” a police source said. “But,” the source continued, “while the officers were at the scene, they took great delight in noticing that he (the customer) was in the company of Justin White, 18, of Kearny.”
Obviously, this was an individual they recognized. When they ran White for warrants, police said, it was found that he had two: one for $1,500 out of Saddle Brook on a shoplifting charge, and a theft warrant from Newark — with bail of $10,000. Full. No 10%.
White was arrested and processed at headquarters and the jurisdictions seeking him were notified that he was in custody.
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Other recent reports from the Kearny police blotter included the following:
May 11
Officer David Bush, on off-duty detail at Forest St. and Midland Ave. at 3 p.m., observed Thiago Campos, 22, of Kearny, who police said was the subject of a warrant stemming from a March 5 incident at Harvey Field involving robbery and a handgun. Police said he had been developed as a suspect and had been wanted since then.
Bush alerted HQ to Campos’ location and probable destination, and Det. John Fabula, Det. Sgt. Michael Gonzalez and Lt. Paul Bershefski arrested him in the area of Forest St. and Pierce Place. He was remanded to the Hudson County Jail on charges including aggravated assault, robbery and unlawful possession of a weapon.
May 13
At 2:15 a.m., Bush was on patrol in South Kearny when he witnessed a 2005 Ford spin out of control and hit a guardrail. Police said the driver, Rashawn McFadden, 27, of Jersey City, refused medical attention — and that he could produce no license. An inquiry reportedly revealed that his license was suspended and that he was the subject of a no-bail Jersey City warrant for harassment. He was arrested, issued a summons for the license violation and held at HQ for pick-up by Jersey City authorities.
May 14
At 4 a.m., Medina spotted a 2005 Honda parked in the middle of Pine St., then make a left turn onto Schuyler Ave. When the officer stopped it to inquire about the unusual choice of a parking spot, police said driver Keith Adams, 26, of Paterson, could not locate his credentials and seemed hesitant to follow a suggestion that he look for them in the center console. When the console was opened, it reportedly held a large nugget of marijuana.
A search by Medina, with Manolis as back–up, allegedly revealed a Ziploc bag with more pot under the passenger seat. And police said a warrant inquiry revealed that Adams had two: $550, assault, Newark; and $250, harassment, Elizabeth. He was charged on those and with possession of pot/drug paraphernalia, possession of a CDS in a MV and failure to exhibit an insurance card.
Newark and Elizabeth were advised of his arrest.
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Officers Gontarczuk and Jason Rodrigues responded to an 8:30 p.m. report that a shoplifter had fled Kmart and was running toward Passaic Ave. Spotting the suspect near BJ’s, the officers gave chase and detained Alexander Walker, 38, of Newark, who was reportedly ID’d by Kmart security. Walker was charged with shoplifting and on three warrants: Roselle, $1,000, drugs; East Orange, $300, and Bloomfield, $250, both for shoplifting. After booking, he ended up in the Hudson County Jail.
May 15
At 2:30 a.m., Gontarczuk stopped a car that had entered Rt. 280 from Harrison Ave. without signaling, detected the odor of burning pot and from the vehicle recovered a jar of suspected marijuana and two pipes with drug residue, police said. Driver Tamir Davis, 25, of East Orange, was charged with possession of pot/paraphernalia and possession of a CDS in a MV. He also got a summons for not signaling.
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Det. Michael Andrews, at Davis and Wilson Aves. at 9 p.m., spotted Romulo Araujo, 21, of Kearny, confirmed that he had warrants and arrested him on same: $2,000, Kearny, criminal mischief; and a no-bail Hudson County Sheriff’s warrant for resisting arrest, police said. A search reportedly found him to be in possession of a Ziploc bag of suspected pot and three packs of suspected marijuana oil, so he was also charged with possession of those before being sent to the county jail.
May 16
The county jail welcomed another new inmate, Ulysses Rebozo, 43, of Kearny, after he was arrested by Vice officers at Kearny and Midland Aves. at 5 p.m.
Police said Rebozo was the subject of an ongoing investigation and was charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia after Vice recovered four wax folds stamped “Lake of the Dead.”
May 17
At midnight, Sgt. Thomas Pontrella and Officer Esteban Gonzalez responded to a report of a possibly emotionally disturbed person in the area of Schuyler Ave. and West Hudson Park, where they found a “very disoriented” woman. Police said Ana Mincey, 21, of Montclair, appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and was found to be in possession of two wax folds of suspected heroin and four hypodermic needles. Kearny EMS was summoned and took her to Mountainside Hospital in Montclair. Because of her condition, police said, in lieu of arrest, summonses were issued for a June court appearance.
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Gontarczuk, at Belgrove Drive and Clark St. at 7:30 p.m., stopped a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer with an expired registration and reportedly saw a hypodermic syringe cap on the floorboard. With Bush as back–up, the vehicle was searched, revealing two needle caps, one wax fold of heroin and four empty wax folds, police said. Driver Melissa Kunyz, 34, of Edison, was charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia, possession of a CDS in a MV and operating an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
— Karen Zautyk
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