Well this one sure is anything but typical.
According to Kearny PD PIO Sgt. Mike Gontarczuk:
On Feb. 5, at about 8 a.m., a man parked his 2024 Toyota in the ShopRite parking lot on Passaic Avenue. Regrettably, the vehicle was stolen, which was reported to Officer Taylor Latka. Camera footage of the suspect was obtained, with police noting the suspect’s distinctive hairstyle and beard, and his direction of flight toward Newark.
Later that day, Det. Jordenson Jean extracted video footage of the suspect loitering around various areas near ShopRite before the vehicle theft, biding his time until opportunity presented itself. He also contacted Toyota Vehicle Connected Services and was able to obtain the GPS location of the Toyota, which was near the intersection of Broadway and Clark, in Newark.
Sgt. Ryan Stickno, along with Det. Jean and Danny Esteves responded there, and to their surprise, found the vehicle parked and the very same suspect from ShopRite, who was still wearing the same clothing, leaning on it.
The suspect was detained and identified himself as Michael Christopher. He was arrested, during which time narcotics paraphernalia was found on his person. Once at the Kearny Police Department, officers learned the suspect had lied about his name and date of birth. His true identity is Joseph T. Galgano, 38, of Newark.
He was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and criminal complaints for offenses committed in Newark are pending. Furthermore, Galgano was found to be a NCIC wanted person via NJ State Parole, in addition to which officers found three separate warrants to be outstanding for his arrest, totaling $5,300 in bail.
As of this entry, Galgano is uncooperative and agitated, refusing to allow himself to be fingerprinted or photographed at headquarters; however, he will eventually be lodged in the Hudson County Jail.
Learn more about the writer ...
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.