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Crime Blotter 10.31.07
Burglary/Theft
Carlstadt
On Oct. 22, at approximately 9:29 a.m., a Union City truck driver reported that he had parked his 2001 Mack tractor across from 100 Asia Place on Oct. 17 and upon returning on Oct. 22, found it had been stolen. The value of the truck was approximately $25,000. Immediately after entering the vehicle into the stolen vehicle database, police were notified by Moonachie that they had the truck in impound.
On Oct. 18, at approximately 2:24 p.m., an employee at Blockbuster Video, located at 675 Paterson Ave., reported that a patron had noticed a man walk out the store with four or five DVDs without paying for them. The man was described as white, 25-30 years old and about 5’11". The employee estimated the value of the theft at approximately $100.
East Rutherford
On Oct.27, at approximately 8:18 p.m., police responded to Main Street on a report of a stolen vehicle. The victim parked the vehicle at approximately 7 p.m. and it was missing when she returned. In the vehicle, the victim had a Dell Laptop computer valued at $1200, a CD case with CDs valued at $250, a pair of Vercaci sunglasses valued at $250, a pair of Chanel sunglasses valued at $350, two sets of Mikasa drinking glasses valued at $50 each and a gift valued at $50.
On Oct. 26, at approximately 10:25 a.m., police responded to Homestead Village at 300 Route 3 East on a report of a theft. The victim parked a vehicle at the parking lot the previous night. Upon returning, the victim observed the front passenger’s side door lock had been punched and a digital camera and $20 cash had been stolen.
On Oct. 24, at approximately 11:13 a.m., police received a report of a theft from a vehicle parked at the Sheraton Hotel at 2 Meadowlands Plaza Dr. The victim reported unknown actors smashed the driver’s side window of a vehicle and stole a GPS unit, valued at $600. The actors also removed a travel bag containing an Apple iPod and various clothing and shoes.
On Oct. 24, at approximately 11:22 p.m., a victim reported a theft from a vehicle at the Sheraton Hotel at 2 Meadowlands Plaza Dr. An unknown actor smashed the driver’s side rear window of a vehicle and removed a Dell laptop computer valued at $1,000, a black leather briefcase, a Verizon wireless card and a battery pack and memory stick for the computer.
On Oct. 24, at approximately 1:01 p.m., police received a report of shoplifting at CVS Pharmacy at 570 Paterson Ave. The victim stated she observed a white male in his 20s, wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt with dark hair, place several DVDs in his pant’s waistband and exit the store. The complainant followed the man and saw him enter the passenger’s side of a vehicle driven by a white male in his 20s wearing a black T-shirt. The vehicle was last seen traveling west on Paterson Avenue. The actor had a black ink tattoo on the inside of his left forearm. The DVDs were valued at $24.99 each. The store provided police with copies of the security tape.
On Oct. 24, at approximately 5:29 p.m., a complainant reported leaving a Dell 3400MP LCD Projector in a room at the Sheraton Hotel at 2 Meadowlands Plaza Dr. for 15 minutes. Upon returning, the projector was missing.
On Oct. 23, at approximately 9:32 p.m., a complainant reported unknown actors smashed the driver’s side rear window of a vehicle parked at Tredici at 1 Hoboken Road. The actors stole two portfolios, a Blackberry cell phone valued at $300, a T-Mobile cell phone valued at $50, a Callaway silver watch valued at $400, a Dell Latitude 12-inch laptop valued at $2,000, a pair of Bolla sunglasses valued at $150, a pair of reading glasses valued at $175, a Toyota car key valued at $100 and a Pontiac Grand Prix car key valued at $150.
On Oct. 23, at approximately 8:39 p.m., a complainant from Premier Entertainment at 38 Enoch St. reported an unknown actor smashed the passenger’s side rear window of a vehicle and stole computer equipment from the back seat. A Tera Bite hard drive valued at $495, a Western Digital hard drive valued at $300 with music on the hard drive valued at $10,000 and CDs valued at $5,000 were stolen from the vehicle.
Lyndhurst
On Oct. 26, a resident of the 700-block of New Jersey Avenue reported a GPS unit stolen from a 2001 Honda SUV. There were no signs of forced entry to the vehicle.
On Oct. 26, at approximately 4:16 a.m., a Fourth Street resident reported the theft of a $300 GPS unit and $700 in power tools from a Dodge van. Entry was gained by way of a shattered driver’s side window.
On Oct. 22, at approximately 3:43 a.m., a resident on the 700-block of Union Avenue reported the theft of a $100 Sirius satellite radio from a 2002 Ford parked outside the residence. Entry was gained by way of a shattered driver’s side window.
North Arlington
On Oct. 21, during the overnight hours, a resident on Riverview Avenue reported unknown actors broke into a vehicle by damaging the driver’s side door and smashing the glass. The actors stole a GPS system.
On Oct. 25, during the overnight hours, a resident on Morton Place reported a vehicle was broken into and a Sirius satellite radio was stolen.
Rutherford
On Oct. 26, at approximately 11 a.m., a woman reported her 2003 Chevy was stolen from the driveway of her home on Stuyvesant Avenue sometime between 6 p.m. the night before and the time of the report. The car was apparently driven over several lighting fixtures and over part of the lawn in order to get it past a car that blocked its path out of the driveway.
On Oct. 23, at approximately 9 a.m., a complainant reported that a chainsaw was stolen from the West End firehouse sometime between Aug. 24 and the time of the report. It was valued at $650.
On Oct. 21, at approximately 12 p.m., a man reported his 2007 Nissan was stolen sometime overnight while it was parked outside his home on Orient Way. The car was valued at $29,000.
On Oct. 20, at approximately 6:30 p.m., a male juvenile reported his cell phone and $20 in cash were stolen from the Memorial Park field house. He also reported that someone stole his iPod valued at $300 from his locker at Rutherford High School on either Sept. 10 or 11. He said he believes the two thefts are related.
On Oct. 20, at approximately 10:30 a.m., a man on Union Avenue reported his grandson stole money from him. A juvenile complaint was filed.
On Oct. 20, at approximately 8:30 a.m., a man from Georgia reported his Ford van was stolen from outside the Extended Stay Motel. It contained $20,000 in tools. The van was recovered in Newark on Oct. 24 and returned to the owner. However, the tools were missing.
CDS
Lyndhurst
On Oct. 24, at approximately 10 p.m., police stopped a vehicle believed to be driven by a drug dealer due to information obtained through an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force at the Burger King on Park Avenue. After pulling over the vehicle, police found approximately two pounds of marijuana and subsequently arrested the driver, 35-year-old Jason VanTassel of Brooklyn. He was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and remanded to the Bergen County Jail on $20,000 bail with no 10 percent option.
North Arlington
On Oct. 27, at approximately 10 p.m., police arrested two juvenile males, one from Chatham and the other from Kearny. Police charged them both with underage possession of alcohol and charged one with possession of marijuana. They were released to their parents
Criminal Mischief
East Rutherford
On Oct. 27, at approximately 1:58 p.m., police responded to Mozart Street on a report of criminal mischief. Upon arrival, police saw graffiti on the sidewalk in front of the residence. The graffiti was either carved into the sidewalk or spray painted and faded over time. Police said it could have been a swastika covered up with the numbers "666," which was also covered up. The graffiti appeared to have been there for a long time and was not fresh.
On Oct. 28, at approximately 9:49 p.m., police responded to Grove Street on a report of a smashed rear window of a vehicle. The victim did not report anything missing.
On Oct. 26, at approximately 9:28 p.m., a complainant reported being struck by eggs thrown at her from a white Chevy work van while walking in the area of Paterson Avenue and Main Street. Officers checked the area and could not locate the van.
On Oct. 28, at approximately 10:51 a.m., a complainant on River Renaissance reported an unknown actor scratched the driver’s side of a vehicle from the door to the rear quarter panel. The car had been parked there since 7 p.m. the previous night.
Fraud
Carlstadt
On Oct. 20, at approximately 2:47 p.m., a North Bergen resident appeared at headquarters to report an instance of fraud. The complainant told police that he had opened an account with $60 at the PNC Bank at 675 Paterson Ave., but after jot having receiving his debit card in the mail, called the bank to inquire where it was. The bank told the complainant that the card was indeed sent out, activated and the $60 was withdrawn from an address in Passaic.
Rutherford
On Oct. 24, at approximately 12:15 p.m., a woman from Carlstadt reported she had been the victim of fraud. She had received $2,000 in money orders in the mail along with instructions to cash them at a bank, keep 10 percent and mail a money order for the rest of the amount back to an address in Alabama. After doing so, the bank informed her the money orders were fraudulent and that the amount would have to be removed from her account.
Miscellaneous
Lyndhurst
On Oct. 29, at approximately 8:36 a.m., police responded to the Winslow Hotel on Rutherford Avenue for the report of a guest that refused to leave. Subsequent to arriving at the incident, police arrested 28-year-old Cinnamon Trival of Teaneck and charged her with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. She was released on summonses.
Warrants
Carlstadt
On Oct. 19, at approximately 5:32 p.m., police got a call about a suspicious man operating an ivory colored motor vehicle near the corner of Third Street and Division Avenue. Police spotted the vehicle, a 1994 Lexus ES300 and an inquiry of the driver deduced that he had had an active $600 warrant out of Paterson. Police took 27-year-old Jack Berckmann of Carlstadt into custody following the stop.
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