Busy week for Montclair police. Armed robbery, car theft and one man charged with multiple Montclair burglaries. Several drug arrests this week, including a woman arrested for hiring a teen to work in a drug distributing scheme involving methadone. From Lt. Scott Buehler:
Drug Arrest
On 10/4/11 at approximately 12:25 AM, police stopped an Acura in the area of Bloomfield Avenue and Francis Place after seeing the vehicle crossing the double yellow lines. Police spoke to the driver, later identified as Brian Mitchell, and noticed the smell of marijuana and an alcoholic beverage emanating from the interior of the vehicle. During the course of the stop, Mitchell stated that a bag of marijuana may be under the driver’s seat. Police retrieved the bag of marijuana and placed Mitchell under arrest. Further investigation revealed another thirteen bags of marijuana. $620 in cash was found near the marijuana and Mitchell was found to be in possession of an additional $255. The total of $875 was seized by police as suspected proceeds from drug distribution.
Mitchell, 22, of Newark, was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for failure to maintain lane, unlicensed driver, unregistered vehicle, failure to wear a seatbelt, failure to inspect the vehicle, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. Bail was set at $25,000.
Theft from a Motor Vehicle
On 10/4/11 at approximately 9:10 AM, police were dispatched to Upper Mountain Avenue on a report of a theft from a motor vehicle. The victim told police that he parked his BMW 3 Series in his driveway on the 3rd at approximately 11:30 PM. When he returned to the vehicle the following morning at approximately 7:00 AM, he discovered that the passenger’s side door was ajar and that he contents of the glove compartment were strewn about the cabin. It is believed that the vehicle had been left unlocked prior to the incident.
The victim reported that a Magellan Maestro 4250 portable GPS unit, valued at $300, an iGO GPS power cord, valued at $30, and a blue neoprene GPS carry case, valued at $18, had been stolen from the trunk of the BMW. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Charles Cunningham at 973-509-4716.
Theft from a Motor Vehicle
On 10/4/11 at approximately 10:00 AM, police responded to Prospect Avenue to take a report of two vehicles that were entered sometime between approximately 5:30 PM on the 3rd and approximately 6:45 AM on the 4th. The victim told police that a family member told her that he noticed the interior lamps to her Toyota Highlander were illuminated and the driver’s side was ajar at 6:45 AM on the 4th. Upon further inspection, the victim discovered that the contents of the Highlander’s glove box and center console were strewn about the vehicle, which had been left unlocked prior to the incident. The victim reported that a black Garmin Nuvi 3790T, valued at $319, and a Canon Powershot digital camera, valued at $250, was stolen from the vehicle.
The victim’s family member later reported that his Volkswagen Jetta, which was parked in the driveway near the Highlander, had also been entered. Like the Highlander, the driver’s side door was ajar and the contents of the glove box were strewn about the vehicle. Nothing was reported as missing from the Jetta at the time of the report. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Lynn McCarthy at 973-509-4725.
Entered Motor Vehicle
On 10/4/11 at approximately 10:15 AM, police responded to Highland Avenue in Upper Montclair on a report of a vehicle being entered. The victim stated that she parked her Lexus G330 in her driveway on the 3rd at approximately 3:00 PM. When she returned to the vehicle the following morning, she discovered that the vehicle was unlocked and the driver’s side door was ajar. The glove box to the vehicle had been opened and its contents were found on the front seat. Nothing was reported missing from the vehicle at the time of the report. The victim stated that she believes that the vehicle was locked prior to the incident, but police were unable to locate any signs of forced entry to the Lexus. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Charles Cunningham at 973-509-4716.
Theft from a Motor Vehicle
On 10/4/11 at approximately 12:55 PM, police received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle that occurred on Prospect Avenue. The victim stated that she parked her Toyota Sienna in her driveway on the 3rd at approximately 5:00 PM. When she returned to the vehicle on the 4th at approximately noon, she discovered that her glove compartment was open and the contents thrown about the cabin. The victim reported that a Garmin Nuvi portable GPS, valued at $200, was taken from the vehicle. It is believed that the Sienna was left unlocked prior to the incident. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Lynn McCarthy at 973-509-4725.
Theft
On 10/4/11 at approximately 9:15 PM, police received a report of a theft at the Montclair High School. The victim, a thirteen year old male, stated that sometime between 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM on that date, a black Virgin Mobile LG 2 cell phone, valued at $150, was stolen from his unsecured locker. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact the Juvenile Aid Bureau at 973-509-4733.
Theft from a Motor Vehicle
On 10/5/11 at approximately 9:00 AM, police received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle that occurred on Gates Avenue. The victim stated that sometime between 9/23/11 and 10/4/11, someone had stolen two Montclair Township parking permits, worth a total of $540, and an undetermined amount of loose change from his Jeep Liberty. The vehicle had been parked in the Gates Parking Plaza while the victim was on vacation, and the victim discovered the theft upon his return. The victim stated that the believed that the vehicle was locked prior to the theft, but police were unable to locate any evidence of forced entry to the Jeep. There are no suspects at this time.
Burglary
On 10/5/11 at approximately 1:00 PM, police responded to the Aozora Restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue on a report of a burglary that had occurred. The victim told police that he secured the business on the 4th at approximately 11:15 PM. When he returned to the business on the 5th at approximately 11:20 AM, he discovered that $130 was taken from one of the registers. There were no signs of forced entry to the business, which had also been burglarized in late September.
Arrest
On 10/5/11 at approximately 5:45 PM, police stopped a Honda Civic in the area of Madison Avenue and Draper Terrace after observing the driver, later identified as Quia Sherman, on her cellular phone while operating the motor vehicle. Sherman, 29, of Montclair, was placed under arrest after police confirmed that the following jurisdictions had issued warrants for her arrest: Little Egg Harbor, with bail set at $500, Union Township, with bail set at $750, East Orange, with bail set at $129, Newark, with bail set at $200, and Glen Ridge, with bail set at $89. Sherman was also issued motor vehicle summonses for use of a cellular phone while driving, failure to exhibit a driver’s license, and driving while suspended.
Motor Vehicle Theft
On 10/5/11 at approximately 7:30 PM, police responded to the area of Pine Street and Glenridge Avenue on a report of a stolen motor vehicle. The victim stated that the theft occurred minutes before he called the police. The vehicle, a white Ford F-350 pickup truck, had been parked on Glenridge Avenue across the street from the Crowd Around Deli. The keys to the vehicle had been left under the front driver’s seat and the vehicle had been left unlocked. The victim stated that he had only been away from the vehicle for a few minutes. The vehicle contained over $2,000 worth of tools and supplies in it when it was stolen. These tools included saws, a ratchet set, drills, a Shop-Vac, and a chipper. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Wil Young at 973-509-4719.
Burglary Attempt
On 10/6/11 at approximately 10:55 AM, police responded to Irish and More on Church Street on a report of a possible burglary. The complainant stated that he arrived at the store on the morning of the 6th at approximately 9:45 AM and discovered that glass and moulding to one of the doors had been removed. The incident is believed to have occurred sometime after 6:00 PM on the 5th. It does not appear that entry was gained to the establishment and nothing was missing at the time of the report. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Ricky Singleton at 973-509-4722.
Shoplifting
On 10/6/11 at approximately 7:50 PM, police responded to Pathmark in the Lackawanna Plaza Mall on a report of a theft. A security officer stated that he observed a suspect putting items in his pants and coat pockets while near the first aid supplies. The employee was unable to determine what items the suspect was taking. The employee attempted to detain the suspect, but the male fled the area and was last seen entering an apartment building on Grove Street.
The suspect is described as a black male, 6’3”, 185 lbs., twenty to thirty years old, with short hair and stubble on his face. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and white sneakers.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Lynn McCarthy at 973-509-4725.
Drug Arrest
On 10/7/11 at approximately 2:55 AM, police stopped an Infiniti on Bloomfield Avenue after noticing that it had an expired temporary registration. Police spoke to the driver, later identified as Amir Dunlap, and found that he had outstanding warrants for his arrest issued by Irvington, Bloomfield, and Newark, with bail totaling $353. Dunlap was also found to be in possession of a plastic bag containing marijuana.
Dunlap, 38, of Montclair, was placed under arrest and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for driving on the suspended list, expired vehicle registration, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle.
Stolen Motor Vehicle
On 10/7/11 at approximately 7:10 AM, police were dispatched to Claremont Place on a report of a stolen motor vehicle. The victim stated that her Honda Civic had been stolen sometime on the 7th between 12:30 AM and 7:00 AM. The vehicle contained approximately $650 in dinnerware and cooking utensils, as well as a Garman GPS valued at $200.
On 10-9-11, Montclair Police received notification from the Newark Police Department that the vehicle had been recovered on Verona Avenue in their city. There are no suspects at this time.
Drug Arrest
On 10/7/11 at approximately 9:15 AM, police received a report at Montclair High School that security officers there were pursuing a seventeen year old male. Police learned that one of the officers had observed the student with a pill bottle in his hand. The juvenile fled when the security officer asked what the bottle contained. Police responded to the area of James Street and Park Street and learned that the juvenile had placed something inside a flower pot near one of the residences. Police searched the flower pot and located a quantity of marijuana. The pill bottle was also located nearby on the ground. The juvenile was placed under arrest and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance after being located in the area of James Street and Midland Avenue.
Anyone wishing to report drug activity is asked to call 973-509-4720.
Theft from a Motor Vehicle
On 10/7/11 at approximately 9:45 AM, police received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle that occurred on Glenside Terrace in Upper Montclair. The victim is unsure of exactly when the theft occurred, but reported that her Montclair Parking Permit, which cost her $300, was taken sometime between 9/12/11 and 10/3/11. The vehicle, a Volvo V70 wagon, is often left unlocked when parked in her driveway, according to the victim. There are no suspects at this time.
Drug Arrest
As a result of an ongoing investigation, detectives learned that a 15 year old Montclair male was distributing methadone pills. On 10-06-11 at approximately 5:25 pm, an undercover Montclair Police officer met with the suspect near the corner of Forest Street and Walnut Street and purchased 18 methadone pills for $320. Shortly after, the suspect was placed under arrest.
The suspect was charged with distribution of prescription legend drugs and distribution of prescription legend drugs within 1000 feet of Montclair High School. The suspect was turned over to a guardian.
The investigation continued following the juvenile’s arrest and resulted in detectives charging Jane Nolan with employing a juvenile in a drug distribution scheme as a result of evidence gathered stemming from the initial investigation. Nolan, 36, of Montclair, was placed under arrest at Police Headquarters on 10/7/11 at approximately 11:50 PM. Bail was set at $25,000.
Burglary
On 10/8/11 at approximately 8:25 AM, police responded to a single-family residence on Melrose Place on a report of a burglary to a garage. The victim reported that two bicycles were stolen from his detached garage sometime between 5:00 PM on the 7th and 7:30 AM on the 8th. The garage had been left unlocked prior to the incident.
The first bicycle is described as a blue and white 20” Men’s Trek Mountain Bike. The bike is approximately six or seven years old and was valued at $300 to $400. The second bicycle is described as a black and silver 20” Men’s Gary Fisher Mountain Bike. It was also approximately six or seven years old and valued at $300 to $400. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact the Juvenile Aid Bureau at 973-509-4733.
Burglary
On 10/8/11 at approximately 10:55 AM, police responded to the rectory of the Mount Carmel Church on Pine Street on a report of a burglary. The complainant told police that sometime between 7:00 PM on the 7th and 10:15 AM, someone may have gained entry to the building through an unlocked door. The victim stated that a Toshiba laptop computer, valued at approximately $500, was stolen from a priest’s office. A Hewlett Packard laptop computer, valued at approximately $350, was taken from a business office. There are no suspects at this time.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Ricky Singleton at 973-509-4722.
Armed Robbery
On 10/8/11 at approximately 9:55 PM, police were dispatched to the area of Walnut Street and Pine Street on a report of a possible disturbance. Police located a group on Glenridge Avenue who stated that they were part of the disturbance. Police spoke to one victim, a twenty-year old Bloomfield resident, stated that he had been robbed at gunpoint after he and some friends had pulled up in front of a Pine Street address to meet another friend.
The victim stated that he was in the rear passenger’s seat of a BMW with the window rolled down when the vehicle was approached by a suspect. The suspect lifted up his hooded sweatshirt and said, “Let me get that money.” The suspect appeared to be gripping a silver revolver with a wooden handle that he had inside his waistband. The victim gave the suspect $140.
Police then spoke to the operator of the vehicle, a twenty-seven year old Bloomfield resident, who stated that he and another passenger, a twenty-six year old Montclair male, exited the vehicle attempted to grab and punch the suspect, who fled north on Pine Street. The suspect was last seen fleeing into the rear of a Walnut Street address.
The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6’2”, thin build, with some facial hair, and black, shoulder-length dreadlocks with orange tips. He was last seen wearing a red-colored, hooded sweatshirt, black jeans and white sneakers.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Wil Young at 973-509-4719.
Vandalism
On 10/9/11 at approximately 1:45 PM, police received a report of vandalism that occurred on Irving Street. The complainant stated that sometime between 12:40 PM and 1:40 PM on that date, someone had smashed the front driver’s side window of a Chevrolet Aveo that a family member had rented. Nothing was reported missing from the vehicle. There are no suspects at this time.
Theft
On 10/10/11 at approximately 12:15 PM, police responded to New Jersey Plastic Surgery on Park Street on a report of a theft. The complainant reported that sometime after 9/26/11, someone had stolen two ten-foot sections of copper down-spout from the front of the building. There are no suspects at this time.
Burglary Arrest
On 10/6/11 at approximately 6:35 AM, police received information that an unidentified male was attempting to break into the Quick Stop convenience store on South Fullerton Avenue. Upon arrival, police located a male, later identified as Joseph (name corrected by Montclair Police) Jason Vacca. During the subsequent investigation, police discovered that Vacca was in possession of a white t-shirt that had been cut and modified to be used as a mask. In addition, three sides of the window frame to the door of the store had been pried off, with a piece of the frame lying against a window. The window itself was cracked, with the appearance that someone had attempted to forcibly remove it. Police also found a door stop at Vacca’s feet and believed that it may have been used to pry the window frame. Vacca, 40, of Montclair, was placed under arrest and charged with burglary and possession of burglary tools.
As a result of a continuation of multiple burglary investigations, detectives determined that Vacca was also responsible for burglaries that were reported at the Aozora Restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue on 9/29/11 and 10/5/11, at the Greek Delights restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue on 9/30/11, at the Anjiru Hair Salon on South Fullerton Avenue on 9/22/11 and Irish and More on Church Street on 10/6/11. Based upon these findings, Vacca was additionally charged with five counts of burglary, four counts of theft, and one count of criminal mischief. Bail was set at $40,000.
Well, at least Jane Nolan is trying to do something to address the problem of teen unemployment.
Looking at the town’s budget, it costs Montclair approximately $35,000 PER DAY for its police department covering 6 miles. With all the crime, I’d like to hear how many uniformed officers are on the street throughout the day.
I am no detective but it seems to me that most of the car break-ins are done on the night shift. Perhaps the night supervisor can shed some light on this? It may be a good thing for Baristanet’s reporters to investigate and get to the bottom of this. Maybe the cops are snoozing on the job? That’s a lot money each day to be spending on protection and the goods are not being delivered.
Baristanet “reporters”? Ha! They simply cut and paste the most convenient police blotter that is emailed to them from Montclair. Not, mind you, from the other towns they “cover”: Bloomfield, South Orange, Maplewood, etc. Why? Because those towns don’t email the blotter. And doing actual reporting would be too much like actual work.
It seems to me that the Montclair PD is way more on top of crime in this town than most of the other towns I’ve lived in. Specifically with this blotter, where they seem to report to the public every single little thing that happens in town. Most towns just don’t do this to this level of detail.
In my old town in in Nothern NJ (In Bergen County near Paterson), you’d hear about DWI arrests in the town blotter and that’s it. You’d have no idea what kind of crime was going on in town day to day. I can say it certainly gave me the illusion of safety, but stuff was going on and we just didn’t know about it. The police department here goes through the extra effort to put this out there and make it accessible, because they know the people of Montclair want to know what’s going on, and care deeply about their town. Most police departments could care less, or don’t WANT to report it because it makes crime seem worse. Montclair’s crime is lower than the towns that it borders, Verona and Cedar Grove excluded (check city-data.com for the statistics), but they care enough to report it to the public, so it ends up seeming higher compared to the other blotters that you read. Hell, when I lived in New York City, I’d have a 50/50 chance of the cops even showing up when I had been burglarized. You should all consider yourselves lucky. They even caught the guy who had been on a spree.
That being said, you could put a cop on every corner and that won’t stop the problem of people walking into dark driveways at night on private property, and stealing GPS units from cars. And while it’s certainly unsettling to think that people are walking around the streets at night, going house to house, car to car, checking to see if anything is unlocked, you all, obviously, can do something about it. LOCK YOUR CAR DOORS. Double check to make sure you did. This obviously goes for your garages and houses, doors and windows as well. It seems like in every single car theft case in this blotter, the car was left unlocked. If someone finds your car locked, they’re most likely going to move on to the next one (unless they can see something in there they really want). Hide your valuables like GPS units and iPods. A little common sense can go a long way here. North side, or south side of town.
And with that being said, with all the extra time the Montclair Police will have not having to respond to stolen GPS and laptop reports, the more time they’ll have to patrol the streets and help stop more serious crimes.
In the meantime, I’m glad the police take the time to release such a detailed, frequent blotter to the people of Montclair, and I’m glad Baristanet keeps on top of it posting them.
Well if one crime spree is stopped, this is good news. Let’s hope Vaca is put away. Our local businesses don’t need the disruption and loss.