CLARK

Tuesday, April 30, police took a report of a shoplifting incident that occurred at the Ulta Beauty store, located at 1255 Raritan Road. Two male suspects and one female suspect were seen concealing merchandise, valued at $14,727, and passing all points of sale. This incident is under investigation.

Tuesday, April 30, police took a report of a shoplifting incident that occurred at the ShopRite supermarket, located at 76 Central Avenue. The suspect was seen passing all points of sale without paying for merchandise valued at $131.16. This incident is under investigation.

Thursday, May 2, Federico Gallo, 48, of Clark was arrested and charged with shoplifting from the ShopRite supermarket, located at 76 Central Avenue. Gallo was transported to Clark Police Department Headquarters, processed accordingly and released pending a court date.

Thursday, May 2, Cristian Tiriat, 39, of Linden was arrested and charged with shoplifting from the ShopRite supermarket, located at 76 CentralAvenue. Tiriat was transported to Clark Police Department Headquarters, processed accordingly and released pending a court date.

Friday, May 3, police took a report of a burglary to a motor vehicle that was parked on Hillcrest Drive. This incident is under investigation.

Friday, May 3, Gerald Pellegrini, 55, of Matawan was arrested and charged with shoplifting merchandise, valued at $80.22, from the ShopRite supermarket, located at 76 Central Avenue. He also was charged with Possession of CDS Paraphernalia. Pellegrini was subsequently released pending a court date.

Friday, May 3, Laura Palma, 26, of Newark was arrested and charged with shoplifting merchandise, valued at $311.54, from the Target store, located at 45 Central Avenue.

CRANFORD

Saturday, April 13, police were dispatched to the area of Crane Parkway at Collins Street on the report of a motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival, officers located a 2016 Audi Range that had struck an unoccupied Jeep. After an investigation, police arrested the driver of the Audi, Nathaniel Taylor, 33, of Bloomfield, who was charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).Additionally, officers were notified by a witness that a passenger had fled the vehicle on foot. Officers subsequently located Kareem Harris, 33, of Parlin a distance away and placed him under arrest on unrelated warrants. Taylor was processed and provided a municipal court appearance date. In addition, Taylor was issued a motor vehicle summons for careless driving, reckless driving and failure to submit breath samples.

Wednesday, April 17, police stopped a blue 2010 Hyundai on Centennial Avenue near Raritan Road for a motor vehicle violation. Subsequent to an investigation, the driver, Sham Byron, 37, of Elizabeth, was arrested for several unrelated warrants. Upon placing Byron under arrest, police found him to be in possession of a quantity of unprescribed medications that were packaged for distribution. Byron was processed and provided a Superior Court appearance date. In addition, Byron was issued motor vehicle summonses for improper window tint and obstruction of view.

Saturday, April 20, police stopped a red Toyota on North Avenue at Arlington Road for several motor vehicle violations. Subsequent to an investigation, the driver, Colin Hinds, 29, of Plainfield, was arrested and charged with DWI. Hinds was processed and provided a municipal court appearance date. In addition, Hinds was issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving, reckless driving, maintenance of lamps and failure to maintain lane.

Monday, April 22, police responded to reports of a woman unconscious in a parked motor vehicle. Shortly thereafter, officers located a 2019 Mercedes-Benz occupied by one person within the parking lot of a business within the 300 block of North Avenue East. Subsequent to an investigation, the driver, Leah Klotzke, 35, of Newark, was arrested on charges of DWI and Possession of CDS-Cocaine. Klotzke was processed and provided a municipal court appearance date. In addition, Klotzke was issued a motor vehicle summons for a suspended driver’s license.

Monday, April 29, detectives investigated a parked and occupied silver 2000 Chevrolet on the 100 block of South Avenue West. This investigation resulted in the arrest of Craig Pitt, 43, of Irvington and Brandon Estrella, 23, of Cranford on CDS charges. Pitt was charged with Possession of Heroin with the Intent to Distribute and Estrella was charged with Possession of Heroin. Both were issued a Superior Court date.

Detective Follow-up Investigations: Thursday, April 18, police had conducted a motor vehicle stop that day on a 2010 GMC near the intersection of Centennial Avenue and Raritan Road for several motor vehicle violations. The vehicle was driven by Kelvin Jimenez, 36, of Metuchen. Officers determined that the vehicle was bearing fictitious license plates and it subsequently was towed from the scene. As a result of a follow-up investigation, it was determined that the vehicle had been previously reported as stolen. Jimenez was charged with Receiving Stolen Property and issued a Superior Court date appearance.

Thursday, April 18, police were contacted on Thursday, March 21, by a business located within the 100 block of Myrtle Street reporting numerous unauthorized E-ZPass violations on the establishment’s account. Subsequent to a follow-up investigation, two individuals were determined to be utilizing the E-ZPasses without the consent of the business. Gabriel Pena-Jimenez, 27, of Roselle and Isaac Marmolejos Blanco, 28, of Carteret were charged with Theft by Deception and issued a Superior Court appearance date.

Tuesday, April 23, police were contacted on Saturday, April 20, by two separate businesses located within the Cranford Downtown area reporting counterfeit money. Both businesses advised responding units that an unknown individual had passed counterfeit U.S. currency within their establishments. After a follow-up investigation, Freddie Hawk, 28, of Irvington was charged with two counts of Forgery and issued a Superior Court date appearance.

Wednesday, April 24, police responded to the 300 block of Manor Avenue on Wednesday, March 13, on the report of an incident of fraud. Upon the officer’s arrival, the victim advised the officer that he had noticed three unauthorized cash withdrawals on his personal banking account, totaling $3,800.As a result of a follow-up investigation, Nicholas Mastroeni, 40, of Paterson was charged with Identity Theft and issued a Superior Court appearance date.

FANWOOD

Monday, April 29, a resident of Willow Avenue reported that an unknown individual stole his electric bicycle. The resident stated that the bicycle was locked to a tree on Midway Avenue. The incident was documented by patrol officers.

Thursday, May 2, patrol officers conducted a motor vehicle stop on Terrill Road for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, the driver, Duran Johnson, a 36-yearold Jersey City resident, was arrested for two active warrants from Harrison and Jersey City Municipal Courts. Johnson was released with a new court date to appear.

Saturday, May 4, a resident of Coriell Avenue reported that an unknown individual used their name to file a fraudulent federal tax return. The resident discovered this attempted identity theft and contacted the police department. The incident was documented by patrol officers.

SCOTCH PLAINS

Monday, April 22, an attempted burglary to a motor vehicle occurred on the 500 block of Terrill Road. An unknown male attempted to gain entry to the vehicle, but was unable. This matter is under investigation.

Monday, April 22, a resident of Mountain Avenue was the victim of a theft. Two unknown males removed the catalytic converter to the victim’s motor vehicle.

Tuesday, April 23, a resident of the 300 block of Myrtle Avenue stated that someone had entered a motor vehicle in the driveway a week prior, although nothing was taken.

Tuesday, April 23, a resident of the 300 block of Stout Avenue reported the theft of a catalytic converter. There was no video or witness account of who cut the converter.

Thursday, April 25, Ebony Morris, 23, of Edison was arrested for an outstanding warrant out of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. She was arrested as the result of a motor vehicle stop, posted bail and was released.

WESTFIELD

Monday, April 29, a resident of Somerset reported an incident of fraud involving an apartment-listing scam. The victim located an apartment-for rent listing on a social-media platform for an apartment located on the 500 block of Carleton Road in Westfield. After contacting an unknown suspect, who he believed was a landlord, the victim made a security deposit via CashAppintheamountof$1,330.Once the initial payment was made, the suspect requested an additional $1,000 rent payment. The victim then requested to view the apartment in person prior to making the additional payment. After being denied the opportunity to view the apartment in person, the victim realized that he had been scammed and contacted the police department.

Tuesday, April 30, a resident reported that their motor vehicle was burglarized on the 100 block of Cacciola Place, resulting in a theft of property. The residents approximately $550 were in the vehicle at the time of the burglary and were stolen. The resident’s vehicle had no signs of damage and was unlocked at the time of the theft.

Tuesday, April 30, the owner of a business establishment located on the 200 block of Lenox Avenue reported an incident of identity theft and fraud. According to the owner, an unknown suspect(s) is using his identity to solicit payments from his clients. At the time of this investigation there was no monetary loss resulting from this fraudulent activity.

Tuesday, April 30, a resident reported that an unknown suspect(s) burglarized her motor vehicle while it was parked on the street on the 100 block of Cacciola Place. There were no items taken from the vehicle, nor was there any damage to the vehicle.

Tuesday, April 30, a resident of the 1500 block of Pinegrove Avenue reported that three unknown suspects made entry to a motor vehicle that was parked and unlocked in their driveway. Theincidentwascapturedonaring.com camera. No items of value were taken.

Tuesday, April 30, a resident of the 1500 block of Rahway Avenue reported that unknown suspects entered a motor vehicle parked in their driveway. The suspects appeared to be a Black male, wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt, black face mask, gray jeans and gray and- white sneakers, as well as a male of unknown race, wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt, blue pants, white sneakers and dark-colored gloves.

Wednesday, May 1, a resident of the 600 block of Stirling Place reported a suspicious incident that was captured on their home-surveillance equipment. The resident stated that in the early-morning hours, unknown persons were recorded walking past their property. One person was seen entering their driveway. The recording shows the person peering into the resident’s motor vehicle, which was parked in the driveway. This incident is apparently related to ongoing motor vehicle burglaries in the area.

Wednesday, May 1, a resident reported that their motor vehicle was burglarizedonthe100blockofCacciola Place, which resulted in a theft of property. The resident stated that an unknown suspect(s) entered their parked vehicle overnight and stole approximately $100, which was in the vehicle at the time of the theft. The resident’s vehicle had no signs of damage and it appears to have been unlocked at the time of the theft.

Wednesday, May 1, a resident of the 300 block of Temple Place reported that three unknown suspects entered their motor vehicle and rummaged through it. Nothing was taken from the vehicle; however, the incident was caught on a surveillance camera affixed to the victim’s residence.

Wednesday, May 1, Justo Torrez, 33, of Linden was placed under arrest and charged with N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), pursuant to a motor vehicle stop in the area of East Broad Street and Hampton Court. Torrez was transported to the Westfield Police Department, where he was processed and released with a future court appearance.

Friday, May 3, a resident of the 100 block of Livingston Street reported a motor vehicle burglary. Specifically, the resident reported that her personal vehicle was burglarized while parked in front of her residence. The victim suffered a total monetary loss of approximately $1,040 as a result of this incident.

Saturday, May 4, Dagoberto Flores-Ramirez, 36, of Linden was arrested by Westfield Police Department personnel and charged with N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 Driving While Intoxicated pursuant to a motor vehicle stop in the area of Springfield Avenue and Cardinal Drive. Flores-Ramirez was subsequently released from police custody to a sober adult after processing.

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Charges are merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.