On June 10 at 10:05 p.m., Officer Oliveira (who had an apparent busy week) was dispatched to a report of a Toyota traveling on a sparking wheel rim near Belleville Turnpike and Clinton Avenue. He found the car abandoned on the Pike with heavy damage and witnesses described how a man in a ski mask bailed from the vehicle and walked into North Arlington.
Sgt. Kelly found a man matching the witnesses’ descriptions walking near River Road and Hendel Avenue.
When the sergeant tried to stop the man, later identified as Amir M. White-Hall, 18, of Newark, White-Hall reportedly ran. After a protracted foot chase with North Arlington Officer Fodera, Sgt. Kelly apprehended White-Hall and recovered the key to the abandoned Toyota and a kitchen knife.
Officers later received a teletype that the Toyota had been carjacked at knife point in Newark.
Officers charged White-Hall with obstructing the administration of law and receiving stolen property. He was later released with a summons after notification to the Newark Police Robbery Squad.
On June 10 at 3:18 p.m., a security guard called police to the parking deck at 206 Bergen Ave. reporting three men who were trespassing and possibly breaking into cars. Officers John Fearon, Pedro Pina, Chris Medina and Sgts. Jack Grimm and Phil Finch responded.
Sgt. Finch found three Kearny boys aged 14, 15 and 16, inside a parked car that did not belong to them. The car smelled of marijuana. Officers took the three boys into custody for trespass and recovered a marijuana vape pen from one of their pockets.
The three boys were later released to their parents.
On June 5 at 11:12 p.m., Officer Anthony Oliveira was on patrol near Passaic and Johnston avenues when he was passed by a Buick Regal with heavily tinted windows that obstructed his view inside the car. The officer followed the Buick and paced it at 45 miles per hour in a 25 zone before pulling over the car.
The driver of the Buick was later identified as Daquan D. Privott, 35, of Newark, when his girlfriend called the police station looking for him. But Privott allegedly presented a driver’s license in another man’s name claiming it was his identity. Officer Oliveira was later told the license belonged to the driver’s brother. That license was suspended. And Privott was wanted by Newark and Prospect Park municipal courts for traffic warrants.
Officer Oliveira arrested Privott charging him with hindering apprehension, false government documents and obstructing the administration of law (for reportedly physically resisting a search incident to arrest). Officer Oliveira also issued Privott traffic tickets for driving with a suspended license (his real license was suspended too), careless driving, obstruction of windshield and unlicensed driver.
After booking, Privott was turned over to Prospect Park police.
On June 7 at 7:19 p.m., Officer Ryan Wilson responded to Target store for a shoplifting complaint.
There, a loss-prevention associate had detained Asaad J. Hinton, 19, of East Orange, reporting Hinton had worked in concert with three women to allegedly shoplift. The three women fled after allegedly helping Hinton load a shopping cart with $746.88 worth of merchandise and trying to push it out of the store without paying.
Hinton, who originally gave officers a false last name and date of birth, was charged with shoplifting, conspiracy (shoplifting) and hindering apprehension. He was later lodged in the Hudson County Jail.
On June 8 at 1:27 p.m., Officer Kevin Carvalho was sent to Marshalls store for a shoplifting. A loss-prevention associate accused Sixto R. Delgado Mendoza, 32, of Glendale, New York, with concealing $117.86 worth of children’s clothing inside a reusable shopping bag and attempting to carry it out of the store without paying.
Delgado Mendoza was charged by summons with shoplifting and later released.
On June 10 at 1:51 a.m., Officers Lawrence Latka, Jose Castillo, Jose Perez-Fonseca and Sgt. Sean Kelly were dispatched to a residence after a woman called police reporting her intoxicated husband was smashing a window on the home’s side door trying to get in. Arriving officers confirmed the damage.
The husband fled before police arrived, but officers caught up to him down the street and arrested him. They charged the 57-year-old Kearny man with criminal mischief, later releasing him with a summons.
On June 10 at 3:31 a.m., Officer Anthony Oliveira investigated a call reporting a man on the 200 block of Belgrove Drive trying to enter a car that did not belong to him. Oliveira and backup officers found a man matching the suspect’s description walking on Belgrove Drive. He was identified as Salvatore A. Gonnella, 30, of Belleville.
While listening to a nebulous story of what Gonnella was doing there at 3:30 in the morning, the officers learned he was wanted by Rockaway Township Municipal Court for drug possession and reckless driving. Cops arrested Gonnella and found him in possession of a crack pipe and metal rod, a utility knife, a flashlight, a pair of gold earrings and a Ziploc bag of coins.
After investigating further, officers charged Gonnella with criminal attempt (burglary) and possession of burglar’s tools and drug paraphernalia. He was later transferred to the county jail in South Kearny.
On June 9 at 1 p.m., Officer Jason Rodrigues arrested Jason J. Cathcart, 20, of Kearny, after spotting him seated on a stoop on the 300 block of Kearny Avenue. The next day at 9:55 a.m., Det. Jonathan Dowie pulled over a Ford van in which Daniel A. Chipelo, 19, of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, was a passenger. The detective arrested Chipelo.
Both men were subjects of arrest warrants stemming from a March 20 hit-and-run crash at Devon Street and Midland Avenue. A woman driving a Subaru reported that a Range Rover ran the stop sign at that intersection and hit her car. After the crash, the driver of the Range Rover fled on foot and officers later learned the Range Rover was freshly stolen from a Devon Street resident.
Det. Dowie took over the investigation and secured evidence linking both men to the theft of the Range Rover. Chipelo, operating another car, allegedly dropped off Cathcart who then allegedly stole the Range Rover. In the process of investigating this case, Det. Dowie assisted Millburn detectives with identifying both men as suspects in a burglary in that town.
Det. Dowie charged Cathcart with theft, burglary and conspiracy (theft and burglary). He charged Chipelo with conspiracy (theft and burglary). The defendants were later transferred to the Hudson County jail.
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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.