NUTLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT BLOTTER
OCT. 14, 2017 THROUGH OCT. 20, 2017
NUTLEY POLICE ARREST CAR BURGLAR SUSPECTS
This past week police arrested five suspects on two separate nights in a proactive policing effort.
Police Chief Thomas Strumolo and Director Petracco reported that this past year we have experienced several thefts to unlocked motor vehicles. This crime of opportunity continues to attract thieves to our community and we need residents help by locking vehicles and removing valuables. We can’t solve this problem alone working together with residents we can reduce the amount of thefts. In addition, residents calling to report suspicious people or vehicles in their neighborhood will help us apprehend the individuals responsible.
In the early morning Tuesday 10/17 an alert Police Officer on patrol observed two men in the area of Clifton/Nutley Border along Orange St., and stopped to question what they were doing. The officer quickly realized that they were providing him with false information. Sandy Almonte-Nunez of Passaic and Joshua Santos of Clifton were arrested and found to be in possession of numerous items stolen from unlocked vehicles in Clifton. Police investigators continue to work with Clifton to identify victims.
A Township alert was immediately sent to Nutley residents advising them of the arrest and caution them to secure their vehicles.
Two days later on Thursday 10/19 another officer observed suspicious activity in the area of Spurr Pl. at 1:00 AM the officer noticed a man running and enter a vehicle that attempted to elude him. A traffic stop was initiated, in the area of Grant Ave and found Jordan Morales, Zaida Martinez and Adam Ramos all of Newark, in possession of CDS and arrested them.
Chief Strumolo said we believe that these individuals intended to burglarize several vehicles in the area if not for the assertiveness of our officers. We will continue to increase proactive patrols in affected areas our community and commends the officers on the midnight shift for their excellent work in apprehending the suspects.
Police Director Alphonse Petracco said it is easy to provide statistics on the number of crimes committed, yet we haven’t found a way to report how many were prevented, by the actions of our officers. We need to make sure Nutley is not an easy shopping ground for criminals, and make it difficult for them to walk off with valuables, simply by locking our car doors.
We request anyone that sees suspicious activity contact us immediately.
Anyone who has information about these or any crimes can send a (non emergent) Tip Anonymously by texting CRIMES starting message with NPDTIP or log into www.tipsoft.com and search Nutley.
10/14/17
***********Theft from Vehicle/Criminal Mischief – Bloomfield Avenue – Officers responded to the area to speak with a victim who stated that when they came to take their truck this morning their truck was moved, the rear passenger side window was smashed in and their green ATV was missing. The Detective Bureau was advised and arrived to the scene to take over the investigation. 2 battery tenders, 2 knives, a black tactical bag and the ATV key were also found missing. The ATV was entered stolen into the database. No further action at this time.
10/15/17
***********Theft of Services – The victim told Officers that they paid a contractor “Ali” (no further information) for various work to be done to the residence but they did not arrive to do the scheduled work. A deposit of $2,900 was paid and an agreement to complete the work was made. “Ali” has not answered his phone and left equipment on site. Officers attempted to contact “Ali” via telephone several times with negative results. The victim was advised on how to obtain a copy of their report.
********Fraud - Police received a report regarding fraud. The victim stated that they were selling furniture on an app called “Offer Up” for $350 and found a buyer who sent a cashier’s check totaling $1,750 to cover the furniture and moving costs. The victim received a detailed email with instructions of how to pay the moving company after depositing the check into their account. The victim followed all instructions and was then informed by their bank that the cashier’s check was not valid. Contact was made with the financial institution advised in the email and they were explained the situation. Due to the transaction already being processed, the victim was told that they would be responsible for the total amount. The picture of the check, email of instructions, and receipt from the bank were placed into evidence. The victim was advised to contact Headquarters if they have any further information. The Detective Bureau was forwarded the report, and determined this is a common scam.
10/16/17
*********Suspicious Incident – Walnut Street – A report was made to Officers that someone had entered the equipment yard and attempted to remove a license plate from one of the trailers. One of two bolts holding the license plate was observed removed and left on the ground. Nothing else was tampered with or removed from the yard. The owner was advised to contact Headquarters if they notice anything missing at a later time. Nothing further.
*********Criminal Mischief – Milton Avenue – Officers responded to the area regarding a vehicle found with two flat tires. The victim was on scene and stated that they ordered new tires but they wouldn’t arrive until the following day. No further information at this time.
***********Theft by Deception – Arrival was made to the victim who reported that earlier in the day they received a phone call from the IRS office in Albany, NY from a “Rick Cooper” with an ID #1207 who stated that the victim owed the IRS money and that they needed to set up a payment plan immediately otherwise local authorities would be issuing a warrant for their arrest. “Mr. Cooper” advised the victim to respond to Target and purchase a $1,000 gift card and to provide “Mr. Cooper” with the account number. After taking this action, the victim felt that it was suspicious and tried to make contact with “Mr. Cooper” who was no longer able to be found. Upon contacting Target, the victim found the balance on the gift card to already be at $0. Officers attempted to raise “Rick Cooper” with the number provided with negative results. The victim was advised of how to obtain a copy of this report for their records.
10/17/17
**********Fire – East Centre Street – Officers responded to a call regarding a working structure fire. Upon arrival, Nutley Fire Department had already forced entry into the building and along with Belleville Fire Department began to ventilate the building. The building owner was notified of the incident. No further action was taken at this time.
*********Suspicious Person – Newark Avenue – A witness reported to Officers that they observed a party described as a male, wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans, possibly in their 20’s, going in and out of driveways. The same party was also seen opening the rear passenger door of a mini-van, go inside, and close the door. The suspect was seen running from the area after exiting the mini-van. Patrol units searched the area for the suspect with negative results. The owner of the mini-van was contacted and stated that nothing appeared missing from the inside of the vehicle. Detective Bureau arrived to process the scene.
********Criminal Mischief – Glendale Street – Officers responded to the area to speak with the victim who stated they found their vehicle with its rear driver’s side window smashed this morning. It did not appear that anything was missing from the vehicle. The estimated value of the window is approximately $250.00. Detective Bureau responded to process the scene.
10/18/17
**********Theft from Vehicle – Moore Place - Headquarters received a report regarding a theft from motor vehicle. The victim stated that during the night someone entered their vehicle and took some various items including loose change. The vehicle was parked in the driveway, the money was in a cup holder. There was no damage to the vehicle.
**********Fraud – Officers responded to a financial institution to speak with the victim of a fraud who stated that they mailed a check to pay their credit card out of their business account and it was cashed through an ATM in New York with no signature. The check was written in the amount of $1,500.00. The victim has already changed their bank account information and informed the credit card company of the incident. An Affidavit of Fraud was sent to both institutions for their fraud departments to investigate.
*******Motor Vehicle Investigation – Rutgers Place – A property check of Kingsland Park found a male and female congregating in the gazebo area. The two parties were advised of the Township Ordinance forbidding persons from being in the park after dark. Both parties were given a verbal warning and vacated the area. Shortly thereafter, Officers observed what appeared to be a female squatting near a vehicle and discard a tissue in the street. Upon speaking with the female, the Officers immediately recognized her as the party from the park. The odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from the vehicle and Officers observed a cup of red wine in the center console cup holder. The driver advised Officers that the wine belonged to the female passenger. The female passenger was issued a Township Ordinance for Littering and the driver was issued a motor vehicle summons for Open Alcoholic Beverage in Motor Vehicle. Both parties cleared the area with no incident.
10/19/17
*********Theft – Oakridge Avenue – A resident flagged down an Officer to report that three 20” BMW 750I stock tires and silver rims were stolen from their garage. The victim stated they were unsure if they closed the garage door the night before. This morning the garage door was open and there were no signs of forced entry. Nothing else was tampered with or taken from the garage. The approximate value of the tires and rims stolen is $5,000. Detective Bureau was advised and responded to the scene to further investigate.
*********Theft – Chestnut Street – Police took a report regarding two realtor signs that were taken from the lawns of their listed homes. The signs are valued at approximately $175.00. These were the only two signs taken from the companies listed properties. The victim was advised to contact Headquarters should they have any further information.
10/20/17
********Theft – Washington Avenue – Officers responded to the area regarding a theft. The victim stated that while retrieving a money bag out of their desk to make change, they noticed that $250 was taken from the bag, the office door was locked and only the owner had a key. There were customers and workers inside the store making purchases at the time of incident. Detective Bureau was made aware of the incident.
