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Gotcha! Lyndhurst Detectives Crash Home Burglary, Nab Local Couple
A Lyndhurst couple had just broken into a local home when they were seized by a pair of township detectives.
Daniel Soto, 22, and Nicolette Greco, 25, didn't see Lyndhurst Police Detective Chris Cuneo watching them case the unoccupied Kingsland Avenue home around 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
Detective Nick Abruscato had joined Cuneo when the couple slipped around to the side of the house and momentarily out of sight, the lieutenant said.
The detectives followed and found a broken basement window, Auteri said.
Announcing themselves, they took Soto and Greco i…
Lyndhurst Man Wanted On Warrants Charged With Trashing Relative's Home, Fighting Police
A Lyndhurst man wanted for trashing a relative's home ran from police, then fought with them before being subdued, authorities said.
Officers responding to a call from a Stuyvesant Avenue home learned that Faiz Mohammad, 27, had become irate and vandalized the place, causing $1,300 worth of damage before fleeing, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
Police were looking out for Mohammad when he returned, prompting the relative to hide in a bathroom and call police, Auteri said.
He fled again but was spotted soon after by Officer Matthew Dudek on 5th Avenue, the lieutenant said.
Dudek ended u…
Lyndhurst Police Lieutenant Busts Pair In MV Stop
A Lyndhurst police lieutenant out on patrol found an unlicensed driver wanted on multiple warrants and a passenger carrying Ecstasy, authorities said.
Lt. Paul Haggerty stopped their 1997 Ford Explorer – which had a cracked windshield and no front license plate -- at the corner of Ridge Road and Page Avenue, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
Officers James Colacci and Brian Kapp arrived soon after, he said.
The driver, Kevin Martinez, 25, of Newark, had outstanding warrants out of Toms River and Newark, the lieutenant said.
His passenger, Sarah Hicks, 24, was caught with Ecstasy, Auteri …
Officers Find Repeat Restraining Order Violator Hiding Beneath Bed: Lyndhurst PD
A Lodi man jailed several times the past few months for restraining order violations tried hiding from police while doing it again, authorities said.
Joseph Minniti, 37, had gone to a Lyndhurst residence to confront a family member who had a court order barring him from the home near Riverside County Park, Police Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
Police were called around 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, after Minniti forced his way in, the lieutenant said.
Officers Steve Batista, Mark Rivera, and Michael Carrino found him hiding under a bed on the second floor, Auteri said.
Minniti remained hel…
Lyndhurst PD: Fleeing Motorcyclist From Lodi, 19, Captured Carrying Drugs, Knife
A motorcyclist who tried to give a Lyndhurst police officer the slip was captured following a brief chase, authorities said.
Jaydan Tejada, 19, of Lodi, was carrying a large kitchen knife, a ski mask, and assorted drugs -- crystal meth and psilocybin mushrooms, as well as THC candies and vaporizers -- following the pursuit, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
It began shortly after 11:30 p.m. Mondy, Aug. 7, when Officer Nicollette Villani spotted a pair of motorcycles heading south on Park Avenue.
Neither rider was wearing a helmet and both had their lights off, Auteri said. …
Convicted Killer Flees Lyndhurst Shoplifting-Turned-Robbery, Nabbed By Alert Officer
A habitual offender who once served time for aggravated manslaughter was nabbed by a Lyndhurst police officer after he assaulted a security guard who tried to stop him from shoplifting, authorities said.
Johannes Vanwageningen, 37, recently of Bloomingdale, loaded a shopping cart with merchandise, then bypassed the checkout lanes and headed out the door, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
Loss prevention officers tried to stop him, but Vanwageningen pushed past one of them and ran off, leaving the packed shopping cart behind, the lieutenant said.
Vanwageningen is known to police, having se…
CT Man Caught With Car Stolen Out Of NY After Parking Illegally, Says Lyndhurst PD
A Connecticut man was arrested after a Lyndhurst police officer found him behind the wheel of a car stolen in New York State, authorities said.
Officer Mark Rivera was doing commercial property checks on and around Chubb Avenue when he spotted the Volkswagen Jetta in a "No Parking Anytime" zone.
Seeing him, the driver -- identified as Maxwell Abankwah, 48, of Glastonbury, CT -- abruptly pulled away, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
A check of the license plate showed the car had been reported stolen out of Rochester, NY, Auteri said.
Rivera stopped and arrested Abankwah, who was process…
Burglars Posing As Contractors Nabbed After Lyndhurst Police Pursuit Into Newark Ends In Crash
Two burglars who tried to blend in as home-repair contractors in Lyndhurst were arrested following a police pursuit that ended when they crashed a stolen commercial truck in Newark, authorities said.
Credit for the capture goes to area residents, Lyndhurst police said.
The driver, Nathaniel Barreto, 39, of Newark took off on foot after the crash but was quickly grabbed, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
Passenger Philip Zaragoza, 41, also of Newark, said he was having withdrawal from using heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine and was quickly taken to an area hospital, he said.
Officer Anthony G…
Police: Intruder Breaks In Overnight, Robs Lyndhurst Grandmother
A repeat offender broke into his grandmother's home in the middle of the night, then pulled her purse from her hands and fled when she caught him, Lyndhurst police said.
Joseph A. Ban, 29, was rummaging through the 77-year-old victim's belongings when she awoke around 2:30 a.m., Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said.
She confronted Ban, who demanded cash and credit cards, the lieutenant said.
The woman grabbed her purse, but Ban wrested it from her, knocked her aside and ran from the home, he said.
Officer Michael LeStrange and Sgt. Charles Giangeruso were checking area automated teller machi…
