The moral of this story — never throw an empty pizza box out of a car window ever, but especially if you’ve got a lot of drugs and a stolen gun with hollow-point bullets on you while you’re in a parking lot in Lyndhurst, because it’s just not going to end well — ever.
On Saturday, April 12, 2025, at approximately 12:14 a.m., Officers Robert Litterio and Michael LeStrange were on patrol in the area of Rutherford Avenue and Orient Way when Officer Litterio observed a cardboard pizza box being discarded from the window of a Volkswagen Jetta into the parking lot of a local business. The vehicle then attempted to leave the parking space, but was promptly stopped by the officers.
Officer Litterio approached the vehicle and requested the driver step out. The driver, identified as Timothy Carriel, 25, of Hackensack, complied. While Carriel exited the vehicle, Officer Litterio observed a large prescription liquid medicine bottle protruding from a pocket inside the driver-side door panel. The passenger was identified as Tatihanna Lowry, 22, also of Hackensack.
When questioned about the bottle, both occupants denied ownership. The label on the bottle was partially defaced, but indicated it had been prescribed to an individual residing in Paterson.
Further investigation revealed Carriel had an active $1,000 warrant out of Paterson and so he was placed under arrest. During a search incident to arrest, Officer Angel Batista recovered a medicine bottle with a defaced label containing 33 pills.
Officer Fernandez then directed Lowry to exit the vehicle. As she did so, a small clear plastic bag containing a white powdery residue was observed on the seat where she had been sitting. When asked about any other contraband in the vehicle, Lowry informed officers a firearm was located in the center console. She was immediately taken into custody.
The weapon, a .9mm Glock 26, was found to be loaded with a large-capacity magazine and hollow-point ammunition. A check of the serial number revealed the firearm had been reported stolen from Jacksonville, Florida, in August 2019.
Following Lowry’s disclosure, she also advised there was a bag in the vehicle containing additional narcotics. Officers located the bag on the rear passenger-side floorboard. It contained multiple clear plastic bags and medicine bottles filled with various prescription pills and tablets. Among the recovered items were a significant quantity of Oxycodone, 60 Alprazolam pills and 51 empty wax folds commonly used for packaging heroin.
Both Carriel and Lowry were remanded to the Bergen County Jail. The recovered firearm has been submitted for ballistic testing, with results pending. The vehicle was seized in anticipation of a search warrant.
Carriel was charged with possession of a firearm while committing a CDS crime, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of a weapon, certain persons not to have a weapon if convicted in this state or elsewhere, possession of hollow-point ammunition, possession of a high-capacity magazine, receiving stolen property, four counts of possession of CDS, distribution of prescription legend drugs, three counts of with intent to distribute CDS, possession of drug paraphernalia and knowingly possessing with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance within 1,000 feet of school.
Lowry was charged with possession of a firearm while committing a CDS crime, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of hollow-point ammunition, possession of a high-capacity magazine, receiving stolen property, four counts of possession of CDS, three counts of intent to distribute CDS, knowingly possessing with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance within 1,000 feet of school, possession of drug paraphernalia, distribution of four or fewer dosages of a prescription-legend drugs and distribution of five to 99 dosages of a prescription legend drug.
On April 15, 2025, a search warrant was secured and executed on the vehicle. A scale and numerous empty wax folds were discovered in the trunk of the vehicle. Additional charges are pending.
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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.