When police pulled over a vehicle they believed was suspicious, they got way more than they likely hoped for during the investigation — the driver was not only sloshed, but he also reportedly peed himself in the vehicle during his little escapade, the Kearny Police Department said.
On Aug. 1 at half past 4 that afternoon, units were dispatched to the area of Seeley and Schuyler avenues and enacted a motor-vehicle stop. While speaking with the driver, Derek V. Gaters, 34, of Kearny, Officer Alvaro Gonzalves says he noticed empty beer bottles in plain view in the grey Ford he had been driving.
Gaters was reportedly agitated, yelling at someone on his phone, during the pullover.
Gonzalves says he smelled alcohol on the driver and noticed his eyes were bloodshot, both characteristics of someone being intoxicated.
Shortly thereafter, Officers John Fearon and Andre Fernandes arrived at the scene to provide backup assistance, with Fearon there to perform field-sobriety tests. But alas, Gaters refused. Of course, that might be because police say they ultimately notice the suspect’s crotch area and butt were both soaked in what appeared to be a nice, yellowy liquid, also known as urine.
After being taken into custody, and having his Ford impounded, Gaters reportedly refused to submit to an Alcotest at Kearny PD Headquarters.
He was charged with drunken driving, driving on a suspended registration, refusal to submit to chemical breath test, DWI in school zone, reckless driving and possessing an open container of alcohol in an MV — and then, after all that, was released on his own recognizance to a responsible party, pending a trip to Kearny Municipal Court.
This also appears not to be the defendant’s first drunken-driving incident in town. https://www.theobserver.com/2017/10/18/kpd-next-time-go-to-a-bar-in-summit-bro/
A man who needed three doses of Narcan to revive him — and who had passed out with his vehicle blocking traffic, was arrested Aug. 2 round 6:45 p.m. and charged with DWI, reckless driving, operating a vehicle whilst in possession of narcotics, delaying traffic, three counts of possession of CDS, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of CDS, Det Sgt. Mike Gontarczuk, the Kearny PD’s public-information officer said.
That day, Officer Bismark Karikari was dispatched to the Belleville Pike and Elm Street on a blocked-roadway call and when he arrived, that’s exactly what he found. Officer Karikari lit up the vehicle, later identified as being driven by Eric E. Costela, 28, of Kearny, without success.
Karikari then noticed the driver was unresponsive and had mucus dripping from his nose, so he administered two doses of the aforementioned revival drug. While waiting for him to come to, Karikari tried to remove Costela from the vehicle, but whilst doing so, the driver’s right foot hit the gas pedal, causing it to jerk forward.
After the vehicle came to a stop, Karikari was able to get the man out of the vehicle but he still wasn’t alert. A third dose of Narcan was administered, after which the individual finally began to awaken.
In plain view, officers also say they observed various pills, paraphernalia and wax folds of suspected heroin. After a hospital cleared individual, he was taken to KPD HQ and Officer Christian Medina, who is a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) conducted an evaluation, leading to DWI, reckless driving, operation of MV while in possession of narcotics, delaying traffic, three counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of CDS charges.
And, of course, he was later released from custody with summonses and a Hudson County court date scheduled.
On Aug. 8, police arrested and charged Simon S. Madramootoo, 32, of Kearny, with aggravated assault, possession of weapon for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of weapon and his Kearny home.
That day, Sgt. Michael Farinola, Officers Damian Kolodziej, Jordan Miranda, Mat Lopez and Cort Montanino responded to the residence on a domestic-violence call where a man reportedly projected an object at a woman’s face, causing her visible injury.
Granado was remanded to the Hudson County Jail, pending court.
In the last week, there were several shoplifting arrests, as well.
On Aug. 3, it was Shakia S. Blanding, 19, of Newark, arrested and charged with taking items from the Target store.
That same day, it was Linda D. Stewart, 30, of Newark’s turn and was arrested at charged with shoplifting and hindering apprehension at the Walmart store. Unlike Blanding, Stewart was reportedly uncooperative and gave police a false name, leading to the additional charge.
Finally, on Aug. 7, it was Yenireth Granado, 31, of Kearny’s chance. Granado was arrested and charged with stealing items at the same Walmart store.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.
