On April 8 at 7:39 p.m., Officers Ryan Wilson and Michael Ore were dispatched to the new Target store on a report of a shoplifting. A security guard told cops a man wearing a blue jumpsuit scanned a few merchandise items at a self-checkout register but did not scan or pay for his remaining items. Those items: $70.98 of Star Wars and WWE action figure dolls. Employees tried to remedy the missed scans but the man reportedly would have none of it and tried to leave with the toys.
Officers identified the jumpsuit-wearing toy-toter as Markell D. Wilson, 37, of Newark. Officers arrested Wilson and charged him with shoplifting. He was later released with a summons.
On April 13 at 4:49 p.m., Officers Sean Podolski and Nick Funk were dispatched to Target store for one of this week’s more creative shoplifting allegations. A loss prevention associate reported that Najee J. Moore, 26, of Newark, entered the store with one boxed child’s car seat. The associate watched Moore allegedly select two more car seats from the sales floor and then attempt to return all three car seats for cash at the guest services desk (as if he had purchased all three seats and wanted a refund).
A guest services representative refused to process the refund, so Moore then allegedly tried to leave the store with all three car seats. Loss prevention alleged he had not paid the $586.42 combined retail value for the two new car seats. Additionally, loss prevention claimed they had video evidence of Moore, on a prior occasion, stealing the first car seat from the same store. An additional charge for that theft is pending.
Officers arrested Moore for shoplifting and for having an arrest warrant from Fairfield Municipal Court for another theft charge. He was held at the Hudson County jail.
On April 12 at 8:38 a.m., Officers Jordan Miranda and Nick Funk were dispatched to Target where a loss- prevention associate accused Charles E. Matousek, 38, of Jersey City, of concealing $312.55 of toys in a laundry bag and trying to carry out the merchandise without paying for it.
The officers arrested Matousek for shoplifting and later released him with a summons.
On April 9 at 4:52 p.m., Officers Sean King and Damien Kolodziej were sent to Walmart for a shoplifting-in-progress. A loss-prevention associate advised officers he was surveilling a shopper via CCTV camera who was concealing merchandise in a garbage can and a black bag.
Officers watched as the shopper, later identified as Ketty L. Henriquez, 40, of Newark, passed the self-checkout registers but did not pay for the merchandise. They arrested Henriquez, finding her with $982.28 worth of unpaid-for merchandise and a crack pipe. Henriquez was also wanted by Wayne Township Municipal Court who had issued a traffic warrant for her arrest.
On April 9 at 9:05 p.m., Officer Michael Ore responded to the basement of a private home for a domestic violence incident. There, he found a 32-year-old woman with dried, smeared blood on her face who pointed outside to a man in the street. The officer later found the man was her boyfriend who had allegedly punched the victim in the face during an argument about his drinking.
The officer arrested the 32-year-old Kearny man for simple assault.
The offender was later transferred to the Hudson County jail.
On April 10 at 7:28 p.m., Officers Josh Lopez and Danny Maganinho were sent to Marshalls store for a shoplifting. The store’s loss-prevention associate reported Jose-Guillermo Diaz-Jacome, 53, of Harrison, concealed $275.76 of lingerie, cream and other beauty accessories in his backpack and tried to leave the store without paying for the merchandise.
Officers arrested Diaz-Jacome for shoplifting. He was later released with a summons.
On April 10 at 10:56 p.m., Officer Anthony Oliveira watched a Ford Mustang speed up Ivy Street from Bergen Avenue and then park. A computer check showed the officer that driver Juber M. Cabla-Sola, 24, of Roselle, had a suspended and expired driver’s license and he was wanted by Pennsylvania State Police for a sex crime.
Officer Oliveira arrested Cabla-Sola without incident. The driver was charged with being a fugitive from justice and issued traffic tickets for driving with a suspended license, unlicensed driving and failure to surrender a suspended license.
He was held at the county jail in South Kearny to await extradition to Pennsylvania.
On April 11 at 8:18 p.m., Officers Tom Collins, Danny Maganinho and Josh Lopez responded to a call reporting a shoplifting duo at Marshalls. A loss-prevention associate accused Anthony Hamlet, 25, of East Orange, and Crystal U. Finney, 25, of Elizabeth, of concealing $359.03 worth of children’s clothing, jewelry and toiletry items in two duffel bags and passing all points of sale without paying.
Officers arrested the duo for shoplifting. Hamlet was also found to be wanted by Essex County, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and East Orange Municipal Court. Both defendants were lodged in the Hudson County jail. Pennsylvania authorities declined to extradite Hamlet on their charge.
On April 13 at 12:37 a.m., Officer Ryan Wilson and several backup officers were dispatched to a domestic violence incident at a home. They found a 27-year-old woman guarding her painful abdomen who said she had an argument at a restaurant with her significant other who had accused her of cheating with his brother.
When the couple arrived home, the 28-year-old male party allegedly started pushing the victim and punched her in the abdomen. Officers arrested the assailant on a charge of simple assault. He was later released with a summons.
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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.