On Sept. 8, 2024, Sgt. William Kapp was on patrol on Disposal Road, which rests adjacent to the DeKorte Park complex, when he came across an older Ford pickup truck parked near a secured property where landscaping equipment had been secured. Disposal Road is a limited-access road closed to the public at dusk when the park closes.
As Sgt. Kapp approached, he confronted a man who was pushing an ATV toward the rear of the pickup truck. At that point, the man abandoned the ATV and ran into the thick marsh of the meadowlands. When the pickup truck began to move forward, Sgt. Kapp was able to confront the driver and ordered the truck to stop.
Sgt. Kapp identified the driver of the truck as Jessica Aiken, 27, of Clifton.
When confronted by Sgt. Kapp, Aiken claimed she had been waiting for her boyfriend who vacated the vehicle in order to relieve himself. An inquiry into the pickup truck revealed the registered owner to be Matthew Warren, 39, of Paterson.
Sgt. Kapp determined Warren was the man he briefly confronted.
In an attempt to locate Warren, a perimeter was set up with the assistance of additional officers from the Lyndhurst Police Department as well as officers from the North Arlington Police Department. Additionally, the LPD canine was summoned to assist and a drone, equipped with thermal imaging, was deployed.
Police couldn’t ultimately find Warren.
It was later determined the ATV belonged to a local company that occupies property on the DeKorte Park complex. Additionally, it was determined force had been used to enter the gated property before it was removed.
Aiken was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to commit theft of an automobile and trespassing. She was released, pending court.
An arrest warrant was issued for Warren for burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest by flight, criminal trespass and criminal mischief.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Warren is urged to contact the Lyndhurst Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at (201) 933-2900, ext. 2740. Information may also be submitted anonymously at (201) 804-9346 or by email at tips@lyndhurstnjpolice.gov.
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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.