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Secaucus, NJ

NJ Techie's App Is Changing The Game For Tri-State Area Commuters NJ Techie's App Is Changing The Game For Tri-State Area Commuters
NJ Techie's App Is Changing The Game For Tri-State Area Commuters What started as a frustrating train ride home from New York City to New Jersey for one Montclair commuter in 2006 has turned into a commuting revolution. Joshua Crandall, a tech-savvy Montclair resident, had an epiphany standing on the Watchung Avenue station platform: commuters weren’t helping each other, even though they all shared the same frustrations.  That moment inspired Clever Commute, a community-driven email alert system for train riders. "The zen of Clever Commute was to only report something when there was a problem," Crandall explained. "No questions, nothing if things we…
Hackensack Man Convicted After Four Armed Robberies In One Night: Hudson County Prosecutor Hackensack Man Convicted After Four Armed Robberies In One Night: Hudson County Prosecutor
Hackensack Man Convicted After Four Armed Robberies In One Night: Hudson County Prosecutor A 37-year-old Hackensack man was convicted on Tuesday, Oct. 29 for his role in a string of armed robberies in Hudson County over the course of one night in April 2022, authorities said. The conviction stem from four armed robberies that were reported between the late night hours of Friday, April 29, 2022 and the early morning hours of Saturday, April 30, 2022. In each incident, Joel Krecz brandished a handgun and money was demanded from the clerk working at a business, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. A joint investigation by numerous police departments identified …
Bergen County Man Tries Ramming Gas Attendant With U-Haul, Splashes Police With Urine: Report Bergen County Man Tries Ramming Gas Attendant With U-Haul, Splashes Police With Urine: Report
Bergen County Man Tries Ramming Gas Attendant With U-Haul, Splashes Police With Urine: Report A 27-year-old Bergen County man is facing charges for trying to ram a Route 3 gas attendant with a vehicle and then assaulting a police officer, authorities said. Nelson Castellon, of Ridgefield Park, was in a U-Haul van when he tried to hit the attendant at the Exxon station at 445 Route 3 West around 12:40 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Police found the van in the parking lot of TJ Maxx located at 21 Millcreek Drive and a motor vehicle stop was conducted. Officers learned that Castellon also threatened the attendant, Miller said. While in the cell block…
Man Asked To Stop Smoking Threatens To 'Shoot Up The Hospital,' Police In NJ Say Man Asked To Stop Smoking Threatens To 'Shoot Up The Hospital,' Police In NJ Say
Man Asked To Stop Smoking Threatens To 'Shoot Up The Hospital,' Police In NJ Say A 47-year-old Brooklyn, NY man is facing charges out of Hudson County for an incident that unfolded when he was asked to stop smoking at a hospital, police said. Josh Garner was approached by a security guard at Hudson Regional Hospital at 55 Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus around 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16. "Mr. Garner was smoking a cigarette, which is not permitted on the hospital grounds," Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. "When security asked him to move he told security he would shoot them and further stated he would shoot up the hospital." Garner was not found in possession…
Hudson County Officer In Deadly Secaucus Crash Won't Be Indicted: AG (VIDEO) Hudson County Officer In Deadly Secaucus Crash Won't Be Indicted: AG (VIDEO)
Hudson County Officer In Deadly Secaucus Crash Won't Be Indicted: AG (Video) A state grand jury declined to file criminal charges in the death of motorcyclist who was fleeing police in Secaucus in August 2023, authorities said. On Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, Hudson County Sheriff Officer Andrew Conti attempted to stop a motorcycle, operated by Reymis Geronimo-Segura, a 28-year-old North Bergen resident, for motor vehicle violations, State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said (click here for bodyworn camera footage of the incident). Conti observed the motorcycle in the area of Paul Amico Way and Seaview Drive, Platkin said.  Conti followed the motorcycle on Count…
Lyndhurst Man, Lodi Man Charged With Distribution, 150 Grams Of Cocaine Seized Lyndhurst Man, Lodi Man Charged With Distribution, 150 Grams Of Cocaine Seized
Lyndhurst Man, Lodi Man Charged With Distribution, 150 Grams Of Cocaine Seized Three men were recently arrested and charged after a narcotics investigation in Secaucus resulted in the recovery of over 150 grams of cocaine and approximately 20 grams of MDMA, authorities said. Nelson Villegas-Rios, a 33-year-old Lyndhurst resident and Sebastian Ospina Osorio, a 34-year-old New York resident were arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 7 and charged with distributing cocaine and ecstasy, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. They were arrested on Plaza Drive in Secaucus. Larry Marin, a 27-year-old Lodi resident was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday,…
Belligerent Driver Denies Wrongdoing After Slamming Car Into Bergen County Utility Pole: Police Belligerent Driver Denies Wrongdoing After Slamming Car Into Bergen County Utility Pole: Police
Belligerent Driver Denies Wrongdoing After Slamming Car Into Bergen County Utility Pole: Police A 38-year-old Secaucus man was arrested after crashing his car in Bergen County then becoming belligerent and denying that he was the driver, police said. Alex Hernandez was standing outside of the 2024 Kia sedan that had suffered heavy damage after crashing into a utility pole on the 200 block of Park Avenue in Lyndhurst just before 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, Lyndhurst Police Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Officers approached and questioned Hernandez, who denied being the driver, despite standing near the vehicle, claiming that a friend had been driving and left the scene in an effor…
Pickpocketing Family Steals $1,400 From Unsuspecting Victim At NJ Sneaker Expo: Police Pickpocketing Family Steals $1,400 From Unsuspecting Victim At NJ Sneaker Expo: Police
Pickpocketing Family Steals $1,400 From Unsuspecting Victim At NJ Sneaker Expo: Police A family of pickpocketers from Somerset County are facing charges after police allege they stole more than $1,400 from an unsuspecting victim in Hudson County. Anthony Curichumbe-Guilcapi, 21, Luis Cholota-Maldonado, Silvia Curichumbe-Guilcapi, 38, and Dolores Cholota-Curichumbe, 21, who live together in North Plainfield, conspired to steal the cash from the victim at Sneaker Expo on Plaza Drive in Secaucus on Aug. 22 around 9:30 a.m., Secaucus Police Deputy Chief Joseph Baccola said. "Anthony, Luis and Dolores bumped into the victim to distract the victim, while Silvia stole the cash …
Fentanyl Dealer Charged In Rochelle Park Supply Chain Manager's OD Death: Prosecutor Fentanyl Dealer Charged In Rochelle Park Supply Chain Manager's OD Death: Prosecutor
Fentanyl Dealer Charged In Rochelle Park Supply Chain Manager's OD Death: Prosecutor A 29-year-old Paterson man has been charged with selling a 37-year-old Rochelle Park man the fentanyl that killed him, authorities announced. Police called to a home on Rochelle Avenue on Wednesday, July 10 just after 9:45 a.m., and found James A. Mara unresponsive and unconscious at the scene, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Mara was pronounced dead by paramedics. Indicators of a possible drug overdose were noted, and detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force were notified. Detectives found that Mara ingested fentanyl before his death,…
Man Shot, Assaulted On NJ Turnpike Roadside, Ditched By Assailants He Was Traveling With: Cops Man Shot, Assaulted On NJ Turnpike Roadside, Ditched By Assailants He Was Traveling With: Cops
Man Shot, Assaulted On NJ Turnpike Roadside, Ditched By Assailants He Was Traveling With: Cops A Texas man was shot during an argument with people he'd been riding with, then assaulted and ditched on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike in Secaucus, authorities said. At 2:26 p.m., a 52-year-old Houston resident got into an argument with two men while traveling in a white Nissan passenger vehicle on the New Jersey Turnpike Monday, July 22, Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police said. The man was shot before the car pulled over to the side of the road near Interchange 17, where all occupants got out of the vehicle and began assaulting the victim, Lebron sai…
Daredevil Street Racer Who Taunted Cops Arrested In Bergen County Burglary Spree, Police Say Daredevil Street Racer Who Taunted Cops Arrested In Bergen County Burglary Spree, Police Say
Daredevil Street Racer Who Taunted Cops Arrested In Bergen County Burglary Spree, Police Say A 19-year-old man who made headlines in May for taunting Newark police in viral videos is among three people who have been arrested in a string of burglaries across North Jersey, police said. New York City resident Anthony Ginestri, of Queens, who is known as Squeeze.Benz on social media, and a 16-year-old boy were identified as Fairfield Police Detective Rick Alves as two of the three suspects in the cases, the first of which happened on Feb. 6 at a Speedway Gas Station on Route 46 East, Fairfield, NJ police said. Police were called to the gas station just before 2 a.m., where a grey SUV w…
North Jersey Native, Husband Killed By Pickup Truck In Florida North Jersey Native, Husband Killed By Pickup Truck In Florida
North Jersey Native, Husband Killed By Pickup Truck In Florida Monica Hong  a 40-year-old Secaucus native, was killed along with her husband on Saturday, July 6, after they were struck by a vehicle while crossing a street in Florida, authorities said. At 10:10 p.m., Hong and her husband, Ben Steigner were crossing U.S. Highway 98 when they were fatally struck by a Toyota Tacoma traveling westbound in Franklin County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. It is with much sadness that we learn of the deaths of Ben Steigner and Monica Hong. They were a blessing to me and to... Posted by Jeff Oakes on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 Born in South Korea, Hon…
NJ Transit, Amtrak Service Resumes After Power Outage, Brush Fire NJ Transit, Amtrak Service Resumes After Power Outage, Brush Fire
NJ Transit, Amtrak Service Resumes After Power Outage, Brush Fire Service to NJ Transit and Amtrak trains was disrupted for the second time this week on Thursday, June 20 due to both power issues and brush fires along the NJ Turnpike, officials said. Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New Haven had been suspended while NJ Transit service in and out of NY Penn Station was also suspended, due to power issues on the Amtrak line, NJ Transit said. Service had resumed as of 10 p.m. with serious delays. A brush fire in Secaucus was compounding the issue as it was impacting wire repairs. NJ Transit service was also disrupted Tuesday morning, June 18, leavin…
Undercover Sting Leads To Prostitution Arrest At NJ Go-Go Bar With Unsavory History Undercover Sting Leads To Prostitution Arrest At NJ Go-Go Bar With Unsavory History
Undercover Sting Leads To Prostitution Arrest At NJ Go-Go Bar With Unsavory History A 36-year-old Belleville woman has been arrested after she offered an undercover officer sexual favors in exchange for money at a popular Secaucus go-go bar, police said. Acting on a tip that prostitution was still an ongoing issue at AJ’s Go-Go Bar on Secaucus Road, Secaucus police officers were sent to the establishment — undercover, Chief Dennis Miller said. Sure enough, Dilcia Nunez Gomez offered one officer sexual favors in exchange for money, Miller said. She was charged with engaging in prostitution and promoting prostitution. In April 2021, multiple AJ's employees were arreste…
Violent Robber Who Preyed On Prostitutes At Secaucus Hotels Captured, Police Say Violent Robber Who Preyed On Prostitutes At Secaucus Hotels Captured, Police Say
Violent Robber Who Preyed On Prostitutes At Secaucus Hotels Captured, Police Say One of two men who forced their way into motel rooms and robbed prostitutes and their customers in Secaucus was seized by police, authorities announced Friday. Kendall Smith, 32, of Jersey City and a second man committed at least three violent robberies beginning May 17 at the La Quinta Hotel, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Smith and his companion “forced their way into the victims’ hotel room while brandishing knives,” the chief said. “After a struggle, the suspects fled the area with some of the victims’ money, personal belongings and documents.” Two weeks later, they did the …
NJ Soccer Player, Licensed Gun Owner Jailed After Threatening Rival With Weapon After Game: PD NJ Soccer Player, Licensed Gun Owner Jailed After Threatening Rival With Weapon After Game: PD
NJ Soccer Player, Licensed Gun Owner Jailed After Threatening Rival With Weapon After Game: PD A Jersey City man has been arrested after pointing a handgun at a rival soccer player after both were ejected from a game in Secaucus over the weekend, police said. Reda Benyamin, 34, and the player on an opposing team began arguing during the game at Shetik Field on County Avenue on May 2, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Both players were ejected and went to their cars to leave after the game. While stopped at a light on Jefferson and County Avenue, Benyamin pulled up next to the player's car and threatened him with a black handgun, police said. Both then left the area. Benyamin…
Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out
Washington State Driver Who Collected 13 Pounds Of Fentanyl At Secaucus Warehouse Pleads Out An out-of-state man admitted collecting 13 pounds of fentanyl at a warehouse in Secaucus, authorities said. Unidentified individuals loaded boxes filled with powder and more than 20,000 pills containing fentanyl into a vehicle driven by Jose Luis Pineda Torres, 48, of Washington State on Feb. 15, 2023, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. DEA agents subsequently charged Torres with possessing fentanyl for sale. Torres took a deal from the government, pleading guilty to the charge in U.S. District Court in Newark. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 29. Sellinger cred…
61-Year-Old Cocaine Dealer Arrested In NJ Traffic Stop, Police Say (DETAILS) 61-Year-Old Cocaine Dealer Arrested In NJ Traffic Stop, Police Say (DETAILS)
61-Year-Old Cocaine Dealer Arrested In NJ Traffic Stop, Police Say (Details) A 61-year-old cocaine dealer was arrested in a New Jersey traffic stop after failing to use her turn signal, authorities said. Josephine Dimoplon became the center of an investigation with the Secaucus Police Department in early May, when a concerned citizen tipped them off to her alleged drug-dealing activities, Chief Dennis Miller said. On May 17, at 7:46 p.m., Dimoplon was stopped by the department's anti-crime unit for failing to use her turn signal, according to Miller. Sure enough, she was found in possession of cocaine and arrested, the chief said. Secaucus Police K-9 Unit, Police O…
HEROES: Secaucus Officers Revive Unresponsive Man HEROES: Secaucus Officers Revive Unresponsive Man
Heroes: Secaucus Officers Revive Unresponsive Man Two heroes in blue revived a man who'd stopped breathing. Secaucus Police Officer Michael Borrelli immediately began CPR when he and Officer Austin C. Hawxhurst arrived and found the unresponsive victim at the Harmon Cove Towers earlier this month, Police Chief Dennis Miller said. Hawxhurst administered a first shock from a defibrillator as he and Borelli continued CPR while awaiting EMTs from nearby Hudson Regional Hospital and paramedics from Jersey City Medical Center, the chief said. A second shock helped get a pulse going, Miller said.  The man then regained consciousness and wa…
Concerned Citizen Leads Secaucus Police To Stolen Jeep At Walmart Concerned Citizen Leads Secaucus Police To Stolen Jeep At Walmart
Concerned Citizen Leads Secaucus Police To Stolen Jeep At Walmart A concerned citizen’s call led Secaucus police to a Jersey City man with a stolen Jeep in the Walmart parking lot, authorities said. Detectives from the department’s Anti-Crime Unit took Brian Gilliam, 40, into custody after finding him going in and out of the 2019 Jeep Wrangler, Police Chief Dennis Miller said. The vehicle had been reported stolen out of New York earlier this month, the chief said. Gilliam was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle, given a court date and released. “The arrest is a testament that when the police and public collaboratively work together, we can c…
Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In Bergen County Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In Bergen County
Venezuelan Immigrant Builds Dream Life Photographing Dream Homes In Bergen County Finding a better life in the U.S. was not a guarantee for Edwing Hernandez when he immigrated with his wife from Venezuela in 2012. But it was a possibility. He had $3,000 in his pocket, and a simple dream. "For me at that moment, [my dream] was to be in a safe country with freedom of speech and be able to live and have my basic needs covered," said Hernandez, 34, of Union City. For years, Hernandez worked physically-demanding jobs and long hours, sometimes 14 a day, commuting two hours to and from work, for only $8 an hour. Life would get a whole lot harder before it would get easier fo…
Route 3 Pileup: Trio Survives Wrong-Way DWI Crash, But Second Collision Injures 6 Route 3 Pileup: Trio Survives Wrong-Way DWI Crash, But Second Collision Injures 6
Route 3 Pileup: Trio Survives Wrong-Way DWI Crash, But Second Collision Injures 6 A pair of overnight chain-reaction crashes on Route 3 began when a suspended drunk driver heading west in the eastbound lanes slammed head-on into another vehicle, authorities said. It ended with a police car and a private vehicle being struck by another car moments later, sending six people to the hospital. It was shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, April 7, when a 2022 Toyota Highlander being driven the wrong way collided with a 2019 Nissan Rogue on eastbound Route 3 near Route 120, East Rutherford Police Capt. Jeff Yannacone said. The driver of the Rogue, a 23-year-old Secaucus man, d…
Newark Teen, Grandmother Busted: Guns, Ammo Seized After Secaucus Car Burglary Arrest Newark Teen, Grandmother Busted: Guns, Ammo Seized After Secaucus Car Burglary Arrest
Newark Teen, Grandmother Busted: Guns, Ammo Seized After Secaucus Car Burglary Arrest Police who nabbed a Newark teen for a car burglary in Secaucus ended up seizing both him and his grandmother after finding three handguns and 400 rounds of ammunition at their home, authorities said. Secaucus police originally charged Malahki E. Issac, 18, with burglary and theft for the vehicle break-in and released him last month. A deeper dive by members of the department’s Anti-Crime Unit led them to even more serious offenses, Police Chief Dennis Miller said. After obtaining an arrest warrant, the detectives scoop up Isaac on Springfield Avenue in Newark on Thursday, April 4. Members…
Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In 'Publishers Clearing House Lottery' Scheme: Cops Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In 'Publishers Clearing House Lottery' Scheme: Cops
Victims Scammed Out Of $2.2M By NJ Couple In 'Publishers Clearing House Lottery' Scheme: Cops A couple from Secaucus is facing a litany of charges after scamming residents in multiple states out of more nearly $2.2 million, police said. Akeem Lee and Majda Hodzic-Lee called victims in Florida, Minnesota, Arizona, Kansas, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Nebraska, saying they'd won the "Publishers Clearing House Lottery," Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. In exchange for the vehicles and large sums of money the victims were told they won, they were required by Lee and Hodzic-Lee to send cash, money orders and/or gift cards for taxes, fees and IRS …
Flooding Shuts Roads Across New Jersey: Here's Where Flooding Shuts Roads Across New Jersey: Here's Where
Flooding Shuts Roads Across New Jersey: Here's Where Flooding and heavy rain closed roads across New Jersey Saturday, March 23. According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest part of the storm may have passed. The flooding, however, has not. In Hasbrouck Heights, where Route 17 was closed, police pulled multiple drivers from their vehicles, Chief Rinke said. Members spent the past several hours rescuing over 20 trapped motorists from their vehicles in Heights and throughout Teterboro. Please avoid all flooded areas and do not attempt to drive through them. Posted by Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department on Saturday, March 23, …
Clifton Man Once Busted With Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Kid Porn: Sheriff Clifton Man Once Busted With Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Kid Porn: Sheriff
Clifton Man Once Busted With Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Kid Porn: Sheriff A Clifton resident who was once busted with what authorities said was an anatomically correct child sex doll was caught collecting porn videos featuring victims from four to 12 years old, authorities charged. Miguel A. Guevara, 32, who works as a supervisor for a package delivery company in Secaucus, has been on lifetime parole the past four years, Acting Passaic County Sheriff Gary Giardina said. He showed up again on investigators' radar about five months ago, Giardina said. That's when members of the sheriff's Internet Crime Against Children Task Force "found [that] sever…
WILD PURSUIT: Car Thief Pulled From Frigid Meadowlands Creek Is Violent Career Criminal WILD PURSUIT: Car Thief Pulled From Frigid Meadowlands Creek Is Violent Career Criminal
Wild Pursuit: Car Thief Pulled From Frigid Meadowlands Creek Is Violent Career Criminal UPDATE: A Union City man who jumped into a frigid Meadowlands creek during a dramatic police chase is an ex-con with nearly 50 arrests in no fewer than five North Jersey counties over the past 35 years. Career criminal Gregory Calvo, 53, is the very embodiment of the phrase “known to police.” He's been convicted nearly two dozen times in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Morris and Essex counties since 1989 – for offenses that include robbery, theft, burglary, drug dealing, domestic violence and aggravated assault -- and has been in and out of state prison and county jails since that time only to be…
‘KITTY FLIPPERS’: $500,000 Worth Of Dangerous Ecstasy/Ketamine Mix Seized In Hudson ‘KITTY FLIPPERS’: $500,000 Worth Of Dangerous Ecstasy/Ketamine Mix Seized In Hudson
Kitty Flippers’: $500,000 Worth Of Dangerous Ecstasy/Ketamine Mix Seized In Hudson More than five kilos of a highly dangerous – and potentially fatal – drug mixture was seized and three men arrested in North Bergen in a joint operation of local and federal authorities. A handgun and $100,000 in drug cash were recovered along with the nearly 12 pounds of Ecstasy and Ketamine, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Members of Suarez’s Narcotics Task Force teamed up with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Newark and the federal Postal Inspection Service to make the case, the prosecutor said on Monday, Feb. 26. Arrested in the area of 91st Street and Bergenwood Aven…
Bogus Call Of Gunman Holding Victims Leads Police To Pair Of Fugitives At Secaucus Hotel Bogus Call Of Gunman Holding Victims Leads Police To Pair Of Fugitives At Secaucus Hotel
Bogus Call Of Gunman Holding Victims Leads Police To Pair Of Fugitives At Secaucus Hotel What turned out to be a bogus call of a man barricaded in a Secaucus hotel led police to two Passaic County repeat offenders who were both wanted on warrants, authorities said. Officers who responded to the Extended Stay America on Meadowland Parkway didn’t find a man with a gun who was not allowing others in a hotel room to leave, as the caller had claimed, Police Chief Dennis Miller said. What they did find were outstanding warrants for Zaire Jacobs, a 26-year-old ex-con with multiple probation violations out of Paterson, and Miguel Pacheco, 41, of Hawthorne, who was wanted in DeKalb…
Two Teenage Thieves Busted After Pursuit Ends In Crash: Secaucus PD Two Teenage Thieves Busted After Pursuit Ends In Crash: Secaucus PD
Two Teenage Thieves Busted After Pursuit Ends In Crash: Secaucus PD Two Bergen County teenagers were arrested after engaging in a pursuit with Secaucus police that ended with one of them being struck by a vehicle following a crash on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 7, authorities said. At 10:37 a.m., Secaucus police responded to a report that two men in ski masks were committing thefts from residences in the north end of the town, Police Chief Dennis Miller said. A police officer heard a loud roar and saw the suspects' 2005 black Honda Accord driving at excessively high rates of speed and driving the wrong way toward Route 3 West, Miller said. The car struck…
Repeat Offender Caught Shoplifting Assaults Store Employee, Breaks Glass Door: Lyndhurst PD Repeat Offender Caught Shoplifting Assaults Store Employee, Breaks Glass Door: Lyndhurst PD
Repeat Offender Caught Shoplifting Assaults Store Employee, Breaks Glass Door: Lyndhurst PD  A 22-year-old Secaucus man who was already known to Lyndhurst police was nabbed following what began as a shoplifting and turned into a robbery, authorities said. Daniel Soto punched and then spit on an employee of a Riverside Avenue store who confronted him on Sunday, Jan. 21, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Soto then fled the store, grabbed a rock and threw it through the store's glass door, the lieutenant said. Thanks to a description obtained by Officer Michael Carrino, Soto was seized by Lt. Richard Holicki and Officer Anthony Morreale a short time later, he said. Soto -- wh…