A Newark boy who thought he might head home with a major payday of stolen items instead wound up heading to juvenile detention — at least for a little while — after the quick thinking of a police officer, who saw the boy trying car door handles on several vehicles, Det. Sgt. Michael Gontarczuk, the Kearny Police Department’s public information officer, said.
According to Gontarczuk :
On Dec. 13 at around 2:30 a.m., Kearny PD units received a radio broadcast of a robbery near Afton Street and Hillside Avenue. A woman there told police a young male wearing all dark clothing and a white face covering approached her as she was exiting her vehicle, threw her to the ground, then forcefully grabbed at her purse and demanded money, becoming frustrated as she attempted to resist.
The actor dragged her up the hill and began kicking her, eventually taking some of her items and fleeing uphill (toward Belgrove Drive). The victim provided a detailed description.
Shortly thereafter, Officer Thomas Collins located and detained a male matching exactly the description provided and who had been pulling the door handles of vehicles, attempting to burgle into them. Upon seeing police, the male crouched down and hid, but it was too late. A show-up identification procedure was conducted, in which the victim 100% identified the person as the actor.
When the robber realized he had been identified, he began to run south, with Officers Collins, Renzo Sosa and Jonathan Lima giving chase, assisted by the East Newark Police Department. Ultimately Officer Sosa caught the fleeing suspect and handcuffed him.
A statement was later obtained from the victim.
A search incident to arrest of the robber revealed the following items which were burglarized from various vehicles in Kearny: An unopened pack of sharpies, gold trim Raybans, $17.45 in change, $1 bill, a Stanley flathead screw driver, Stanley Allen key set, leatherman tool, a Schwinn flashlight, Sabre brand CS tear gas, a Samsung charger, a Louis Vuitton wallet, containing the victim’s belongings, a Dominican Republic coin purse, a Coach coin purse, a floral pattern coin purse, a Coach wallet with another victim’s property inside, Louis Vuitton sunglasses, unbranded sunglasses, two bottles of Guess cologne, a set of Volvo keys, an Acura Key and an Isin Wheel scooter.
Ultimately, the boy, a Newark resident, was charged with robbery, resisting arrest, theft, criminal attempt burglary, burglary tools and receiving stolen property
The investigation is ongoing to identify more vehicles and/or victims who were burglarized by this suspect. The suspect was temporarily transferred to juvenile detention; however, it is unlikely he will be remanded or that any meaningful consequence will result from this arrest.
On Dec. 15, at around 3 a.m., Officer Andy Soto was dispatched to a motor-vehicle accident, where a town company driver advised police a GMC had crashed and attempted to leave the scene, but did not get far. Officer Soto’s investigation led to the arrest of Cristian M. Sandoval Toledo, 34 of Bloomfield, for drunk driving. After an Alco-test registered a blood alcohol content of 0.18%, more than twice the legal limit, the driver was charged with DWI, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and failure to report an accident.
Sandoval Toledo was later released to a friend and his vehicle remained impounded.
On Dec. 16 at 2 a.m., Officer Andy Soto was patrolling when he came across a vehicle pulled over in a dark area near the Post Office at 850 Newark Jersey City Turnpike. This area was designated for postal trucks and it was uncommon for vehicles to be parked in such a position and place. The vehicle displayed a Pennsylvania registration and was discovered to be stolen. Two men were inside.
Upon approaching, Officer Soto noted both men to be unconscious. He observed indicia of opiate overdoses and administered multiple doses of Narcan.
Sgt. Mike Andrews and Officers Damian Kolodziej, Jamier Kerr and Michael Ore arrived as back up. The men were arrested and taken to hospital. A search of the vehicle uncovered various drug paraphernalia, as well as heroin folds labeled “OLY BAMBA” within reach of where the occupants sat.
Pursuant to a warrant, a blood draw was conducted.
Ultimately, Anthony W. Gonzalez, 21, of Perth Amboy, was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia. A computer check also revealed two outstanding warrants for $2,500 each, issued by the Woodbridge court.
Osvaldo J. Romero, 33, of Jersey City, was charged with operating under the influence of liquor or drugs, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of CDS.
A victim was later contacted and the vehicle was found to have been stolen from New York. The victim’s property, from inside the vehicle, remains missing, and it was found the vehicle itself had been damaged.
Both men were later remanded to the Hudson County Jail, South Kearny.
Romero has since been released and Gonzalez has since been transferred to the Middlesex County Jail.
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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.