72°
The incident was another in a recent series of episodes involving Albert P. Fischetta III, 40, of Toms River, whose violent reaction sent two officers – and himself – to the hospital, they said.
Fischetta had been freed after police at the Jersey Shore said he attacked an elderly man while not wearing any clothes last fall, records show.
This time, his girlfriend told Hasbrouck Heights that Fischetta suddenly bailed out of her car without warning and took off – possibly with a knife – in the area of Terrace and Charleton avenues shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, May 27, Lt. John Behr said.
Hasbrouck Heights Officer Joseph Olivo found Fischetta in the parking lot at the 7-Eleven just across the town line on Polifly Road in Hackensack, the lieutenant said.
Fischetta "refused to comply and speak to the officer, became verbally aggressive and began walking into traffic," Behr said.
Fearing the worst, Olivo grabbed Fischetta, who began fighting him, he said.
Officers Sean Woodbridge and Joseph Armeli joined Olivo, as did officers from Hackensack, Wood-Ridge and the Bergen County Sheriff's Office.
Body cameras captured images of the violent struggle, which the officers said continued as they took Fischetta into custody.
Fischetta was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center for treatment before being transported to the Bergen County Jail.
He remained held in the county lockup on Monday pending a first appearance on two charges of aggravated assault on a police officer, one each of spitting at them, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats.
Two officers, meanwhile, were treated for injuries sustained in the scuffle before being released.
Fischetta has been arrested locally the past several years for offenses that include stalking, harassment and making terroristic threats, records show. He also has a criminal history at the Jersey Shore that stretches back nearly a decade.
Fischetta was naked and apparently high on PCP when he punched a vehicle window and assaulted an elderly man in Ocean County’s Berkeley Township last October, police there said.
Hasbrouck Heights Police Chief Joseph Rinke praised his officers for their professionalism and thanked his colleagues from the mutual responding agencies.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Valley and receive free news updates.
