On Nov. 23 at 10:55 p.m., Officer Angel Martinez responded to the Kearny Avenue Quick Chek where a carbon monoxide alarm had activated. While the officer was awaiting completion of the fire department’s investigation, he reportedly had to stop Dejon A. Wilson, 37, of Kearny, several times from entering the store. Not only was the store potentially unsafe at that point, but Wilson had previously been banned by the store’s management due to prior objectionable incidents there.
Despite Officer Martinez explaining all this, Wilson allegedly left briefly but returned with a whoop and holler and entered the property. The officer arrested Wilson for trespass and later released him with a summons.
On Nov. 23, Officer Anthony Nunez arrested Guelmi M. Abreu, 20, of Kearny, after an interview at police headquarters. Abreau is accused of stealing an E-scooter worth just north of $400 from the L.A. Fitness locker room on Passaic Avenue. The theft occurred on Oct. 24.
Abreau was charged by summons with theft and later released. Officer Nunez and Det. Jordenson Jean recovered the stolen scooter from Abreu on the day of the arrest.
On Nov. 24 at 6:14 a.m., Officers Ryan Stickno and Sean King were dispatched to ShopRite for a shoplifting complaint. Store management accused Peter Adames, 40, of Newark, of concealing $57.05 of Ensure and Nutrament shakes in a bag and trying to leave the store without paying.
Officers arrested Adames and charged him with shoplifting. Adames was also wanted by courts in East Newark (theft, $500 bail), Harrison (theft, $500 bail), East Hanover (drug possession, $10,000 bail), Nutley (assault, $1,000 bail) and Dover Township (traffic, $1,500 bail). He was booked into the Hudson County Jail, South Kearny.
On Nov. 24 at 10:53 a.m., Officers Jordan Miranda, Mat Lopez, and Lt. Brian Wisely were sent to the 400 block of Beech Street on a report of a man and woman using drugs and fighting with a knife. Officers located Ricky J. Matos, 23, of Kearny, and a female acquaintance. The two were not fighting with each other.
A neighbor reported he spoke to Matos and the woman requesting they not leave garbage on the ground near his property. This led to an argument that escalated when Matos allegedly pulled a utility knife from his pocket and threatened to stab the neighbor with it.
Officer Lopez found the knife on Matos’s person and arrested him. The officer also seized glassine bags stamped “Adidas Yeezy,” which are commonly used to package heroin, and a glass pipe commonly used to smoke narcotics.
Matos was charged with aggravated assault, weapon possession, terroristic threats and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was held at the Hudson County Jail.
On Nov. 26 at 8:12 a.m., Officers Travis Witt and Rich Poplaski Jr., traveled to Bloomfield where its police department was holding Najala T. Rogers, 29, of Newark, on a Kearny bench warrant carrying $1,000 bail.
The warrant related to an investigation of a Dec. 31, 2020, traffic crash for which Officer Sean Kelly filed summonses against Rogers for using loaned registration tags, careless driving, unregistered vehicle, fictitious plates and no liability insurance.
Rogers posted bail at KPD headquarters and was later released.
On Nov. 27 at 11:08 a.m., Officers Travis Witt, Rich Poplaski Jr. and Sgt. Jay Ward were dispatched to ShopRite for a shoplifting complaint. Store management accused Jamie Hammill of concealing $638.48 of mostly candy, Bic lighters, Ensure shakes and medication in shopping bags and trying to deprive ShopRite of payment.
Officers arrested Hammill, who was found to have on her person four empty wax folds commonly used to package heroin, five small vials commonly used to package cocaine, and one pipe commonly used to smoke narcotics. She was charged with shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Hammill was also wanted by courts in West Caldwell (shoplifting, $750 bail), Irvington (drug possession, $1,000 bail; and theft, $1,500 bail), Madison (shoplifting, $1,500 bail), Springfield (theft, $1,500 bail), Union (shoplifting, $2,500 bail). She was held at the Hudson County jail.
On Nov. 29 at 12:38 a.m., Officers Jonathan Lima and Ruben Rivera went to check out a white van at Kearny Avenue. A citizen had called it in as the vehicle of a possibly drunk driver.
The officers found the van being driven near Kearny Avenue and Liberty Street and pulled it over. Having observed signs of impairment in driver Dario M. Mera, 39, of Kearny, the officers had him perform field-sobriety tests. He failed them.
The officers arrested Mera and charged him with DWI after a breath-alcohol test at the police station. Mera was later released.
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Capt. Timothy Wagner | Kearny Police Department
Capt. Timothy Wagner is the Kearny Police Department's public-information officer and the commander of the department's Internal Affairs Unit. He contributes the KPD Blotter weekly and writes it completely.