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Officer Anthony Milne spotted Brian L Mcelfresh, 41, of Passaic walking and crouching down near parked cars along Parkway just after 1 a.m., Capt. Shawn Kudlacik said.
At the same time, he saw a woman driving a Buick with one headlight driving slowly down the block.
Mcelfresh dropped a backpack he was carrying while turning onto Hayward Place, Kudlacik said.
Inside was a bottle of vodka and a pair of camouflage pants, he said.
Backup Officer Michael Marciniak arrived as the Buick came by again – this time with Mcelfresh in the car, the captain said.
Marciniak recognized Mcelfresh as a suspect identified by Detective Brian Rosas in a series of borough car burglaries, he said.
The officers also spotted drug paraphernalia in the center console, Kudlacik said.
Mcelfresh, it turned out, was carrying a credit card from a Feb. 16 car break-in, he said.
He was arrested for receiving stolen property, among other counts, and given over to East Rutherford police to face other charges before being sent to the Bergen County Jail.
Mcelfresh’s partner, 31-year-old Magdalena Brak of Garfield was released.
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