We're hearing more frequent reports about kids beating up on kids, and we don't like it.
Montclair PD tells Baristanet a strong-arm robbery occurred on the railroad tracks at Park & Watchung Avenue. A 16-year old Montclair teen was walking near the tracks on Feb 1, at 7:30 pm, when two teens approached him. Suspect #1 called to the victim then said "oh, never mind, I thought you were someone else." As the victim walked away, suspect #1 grabbed him in a bear hug and suspect #2 went through his pockets, stealing the victim's LG cell phone. Suspect #1 is described as a white male, approximately 16 years old, 5'7, 170 lbs, short light brown hair, wearing a black leather hooded jacket and blue jeans. Suspect #2 is described as a white male, approximately 16 years old, 6', thin build. He was wearing a black North Face hooded jacket, a hockey style mask covering his face, blue jeans and Nike sneakers. The victim did not know his attackers, and was not injured during the incident. Lt. Carlucci says this doesn't appear to be gang related - "sometimes kids just do stupid things." The case is being investigated by the juvenile bureau.
And in Bloomfield, a 15 year old was robbed at gunpoint, on his way home. It happened on on January 31, near Floyd Rd. and Ampere Parkway. At about 8:30 pm, the teen was approached by two suspects. The suspects brandished a dark colored, semi-automatic handgun and robbed the victim of his North Face jacket, sweater, and a Nextel cell phone. The suspects, seen leaving in a dark vehicle, are described only as a black male and a Hispanic male, between 18-21 years old. The vicitm was not hurt.
For more about Bloomfield, go to the jump...
With more trouble reported at Bloomfield's Stop and Shop on Franklin Street last week, Peapod is sounding like a better option. And beware a familiar flim-flam con artist targeting senior citizens, who has surfaced three times in Bloomfield since November.
January 29 - Theft at the Franklin Street Stop and Shop: A woman told police as she started to load shopping bags into the trunk of her car, a man came up and said, "oh, let me help you." When the packages were all loaded, she noticed her purse was gone. She asked the man if he had seen it...he said he didn't know, and walked away. (Grrr.) The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, 5'3 180 lbs, short hair. Captain Goul says Stop and Shop has a privately hired, uniformed police officer working on the premises every night.
January 31 - Con/Theft: 100 block of Lexington Avenue. An 84 year old Bloomfield woman was the victim of a Flim-Flam burglary. At 4 pm, a woman knocked on the victim's door, asking if she could drop off a package for a neighbor. The con artist smooth-talked her way into the woman's kitchen. The suspect pulled a bed sheet out of a backpack, holding it up for the homeowner to see. The sheet obstructed her view of the unlocked front door. A second suspect entered the home and ransacked the upstairs bedrooms, and got out of the house unnoticed. After the first woman left, the homeowner discoverd a check book, $3,000 cash, and personal papers missing. The entire incident lasted no longer than fifteen minutes, she said. The suspect matches the description of recent flim-flam incidents reported in the north-end of town, and in other jurisdictions. The suspect is described as a light skinned female, possibly Hispanic, heavy set, dark hair, 30-40 years old. The get away vehicle is an older domestic tan vehicle, possibly a Ford or Chevy sedan.
Captain Goul of BPD says scams of distraction theft are very common, and the sheet is an often used M.O. Senior citizens are preyed upon, and can get confused in these situations then feel too embarassed to report it. Another common scam involves a man posing as a water meter reader who gains entry and distracts the resident while an accomplice comes in to look for cash and jewelry. Goul added "the con artists may come from out of state to hit an area for a month at a time. It is difficult to apprehend them because they move around a lot, and descriptions of the suspects are very similar, generic, making it hard to identify the perpetrators."
Oh, but I thought that kids were our FYOOOTURRRE!