Shortly after noon, June 26, Kearny police units were dispatched to Ivy Street, in response to reports of five people attacking a lone victim with a brick. Officer Mat Lopez was first to arrive on scene and found the victim bleeding from the nose and mouth and with scrapes to various parts of her body.
He obtained and broadcast descriptions of her assailants, who had fled on foot. Just as the perpetrators reached a van they had stashed around the corner, Officer Jean-Paul Duran caught up with them. Back-up units were quickly summoned and the group was detained.
Fortunately, the victim was treated on-scene and did not require immediate hospitalization. She was able to identify her attackers and provide the following statement to police:
“The victim is an eye lash technician and had accepted an appointment for her services. When her appointment arrived, the victim answered the door, at which point one of the assailants forced her way into the victim’s residence, began striking her, then pulled the victim out of the house.
Several others joined in on the assault as they stole the victim’s cell phone, and at one point she was struck with a brick.”
Two witnesses told police they observed the incident and notified them, while also taking a video, which corroborated the victim’s narrative. Additionally, when the victim “pinged” her stolen cell phone, the location showed to be inside or near the assailants’ van.
After a thorough on-scene investigation, the van was seized, pending a search warrant, and the following individuals were taken into custody: Keyalinee C. Maxwell, 19; Janiel A. Cruz, 18; DiAndra S. Loving, 19; Danny Reynoso, 19; and a 16-year-old girl, all of Jersey City.
Each of the five were charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy.
Maxwell, Cruz, Loving and Reynoso were transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, while the girl was remanded to the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center.
Det. John Fabula is conducting further investigation into this matter.
At about 2 a.m., June 26, Officer Anthony Oliveira was dispatched to the area of Chestnut Street and Woodland Avenue, after a witness reported two males attempting to enter parked vehicles. Sgt. Dean Gasser, and Officers Cazares and Latka responded as well.
After the caller provided officers with a detailed description and direction of flight of the would-be burglars, Officer Oliveira found one of the individuals, who was wearing a full-cover face mask. He detained him, at which point the man stated he was visiting his previous place of employment on the Belleville Turnpike, which, Officer Oliveira noted, is closed at night.
The original witness responded and positively identified the detained individual as one of the two culprits.
The caller also identified the vehicle(s) that were subjected to burglary attempts. Based upon this development, officers arrested Nyieb Hastings, 24, of Newark. The second male, who reportedly fled on a bicycle, was not located.
While officers attempted to guide Hastings into the back of a patrol car, he refused to walk to it and began shouting he would shoot and murder all officers involved in this incident. Officers were able to cajole Hastings into cooperating, and no force was required. Hastings was charged with attempted burglary and was later transported to the Hudson County Jail.
Back in May, the Kearny Police Department fielded a report of a burglary and theft at LA Fitness. A victim reported the locker they were using had been broken into, and their belongings, including car keys, were taken. The burglar used the car keys to enter the victim’s vehicle and steal further belongings.
The proceeds included the cash, credit and debit cards.
The stolen cards were then used at a local liquor store and at a smoke shop in Newark. Detective Kyle Plaugic obtained security footage from multiple locations, depicting the suspect and his vehicle. After collaborating with other police agencies, Detective Plaugic identified the culprit as Ryan Archain, 23, of Hempstead, New York. The Edison Police Department reported Archain committed similar offenses at their LA Fitness. Ultimately, Detective Plaugic charged Archain on June 22 with burglary, two counts of theft, two counts of unlawful use of credit cards and other offenses.
A Central Judicial Processing court date in Hudson County is scheduled.
Officers Jordan Miranda and Nick Funk were dispatched to the Target store for two shoplifters. Aellyn R. Batista-Guerrero, 18, of Newark and Diomari Pena-Lopez, 20, of Newark, had reportedly concealed a cumulative $647.03 worth of cosmetics and passed all points of sale. Both were arrested and charged with shoplifting. After receiving their future court dates, they were released from custody. A third person accompanying them at the time was banned from Target, but was not charged.
Officers Thomas Collins and Anthony Oliveira and Sgt. Kelly responded to a two-car crash at the intersection of Halstead Street and Belgrove Drive. While speaking with the involved drivers, Officer Oliveira noticed one of them to be exhibiting signs of impairment.
The driver reportedly possessed multiple open Corona bottles in his vehicle, reeked of alcoholic beverage and repeatedly handed Officer Oliveira a construction invoice when asked for driving credentials. After performing poorly on standardized field sobriety tests, Edgar G. Carrera-Rivera, 36, of Jersey City, was arrested.
Sgt. Kelly later administered a chemical breath test at police headquarters, the results of which indicated a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit. Carrera-Rivera was released to a responsible party, after being summonsed with DWI-operating under the influence of liquor/drugs, driving without liability insurance coverage, failure to keep right, driving without a license and reckless driving.
Officers Andre Fernandes and Cort Montanino and Sgt. Jack Grimm were dispatched on June 25 to Laurel Avenue for a suspicious male acting erratically. Upon arriving, they say they spoke with an individual who pretended to tie his shoes, while concealing a quantity of pills into his sock.
Salvador L. Guerra, 32, of Kearny, was arrested, with a search revealing Alprazolam and Metoclopramide Hydrochloride pills. As officers attempted to take him into custody, Guerra began dropping his weight and resisting their control. He was arrested and later released, after being charged with various prescription legend drug offenses, as well as resisting arrest.
Det. Jordenson Jean, while working an extra-duty detail at Shoprite on June 25, says he observed a woman fill a shopping cart with merchandise, then exit the store without paying for it. He confronted her outside of the store; however, she ran toward Passaic Avenue, where a vehicle was waiting to pick her up.
Unfortunately for the woman, Det. Jean caught and handcuffed her before she could escape.
Sheila M. Gilmer, 52, of Newark, was arrested and taken to Kearny PD Headquarters, where it was discovered a $1,000 warrant was outstanding for her arrest, issued by Passaic Municipal Court. Det. Jean charged her with shoplifting and resisting arrest, after which she was transported to the Hudson County Jail in South Kearny.
On. June 27, Sgt. Patrick Becker and Officers Darwin Paulino and Sean Wilson responded to a Jacobus Avenue business in South Kearny after an altercation led to a physical confrontation. Upon arriving, they encountered the two involved men, and concluded one had picked up the other and was slamming him onto the floor, causing the victim to become unconscious and lose his sight for a period of time.
Americo Pena Baez, 41 of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, due to the extent of the injuries sustained by his counterpart. He was later released with a court summons.
In the evening hours of June 27, Officers Travis Witt, Ryan Wilson and Kevin Matos were dispatched to ShopRite, after loss prevention caught an individual shoplifting over $250 worth of meat.
Ronald A. Ballard, 59, of Peekskill, New York, was arrested and charged with shoplifting.
Once at police headquarters, two warrants were found to be outstanding for Ballard — one for $2,500, issued by Metuchen Municipal Court and the other for $1,000, issued by Bernards Township Municipal Court.
Additionally, Ballard was found to be a wanted person in the NCIC (National Crime Information Center), issued by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office. He was later transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
In early May, Lt. Brian Wisely was flagged down by a FedEx driver who wished to report a theft. The driver said he was delivering a package to a specific address, when a male approached him and accepted the package, claiming that it was on behalf of his girlfriend.
When the driver asked for identification, the suspect took the package out of the driver’s hands and fled. The FedEx driver was able to record a video of the fleeing suspect and later provided a detailed description of him.
When officers spoke to the resident of the home, they explained that the package contained two new iPhones, and that no “boyfriend” was supposed to accept the package on the resident’s behalf.
Det. Fabula initiated an investigation and identified Edgar R. Eusebio, 31, of the Bronx, to be the culprit.
Later, the FedEx driver was presented with a photo array, conducted by Det. Nunez, during which he selected and identified Eusebio’s photograph as the suspect involved.
On June 28, Eusebio was charged with theft.
A Central Judicial Processing court date is scheduled in Hudson County.
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