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Sgt. Daniel McCabe and Officer Brian Compel were on the lookout for 30-year-old Jeffrey Jean of Newark when they spotted him at the Grove Street station around 11:30 yesterday morning, said the Port Authority’s Joseph Pentangelo.
Jean, a registered sex offender in both New Jersey and New York, was arrested without incident and charged with theft, Pentangelo said.
“His ears and the distinctive way he fashioned his hair helped the officers identify him,” he told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Jean, who has large holes in his earlobes, was wanted for reaching over the counter at the PATH Plaza deli on May 8 and taking the money.
The cash hadn’t been recovered, Pentangelo said.
Earlobe “gauging” is a fad that began in the 80s, expanded over two decades and then tailed off two or so years ago after several years of widespread popularity. The American singer Adam Lambert and rapper Travie McCoy have the holes.
Some people gradually stretch the skin using different-sized cone-shaped jewelry “tapers” to create room for stainless-steel flesh tunnels or plugs. Still others go straight to dermal punching (Yes, it works just like a hole puncher, creating an instant gap).
The last two years have seen a counter-move by people who got the holes to repair them — mostly because of new employment.
Corrective surgery can range anywhere from $500 to $2,500, doctors say.
MUGSHOT: Courtesy PORT AUTHORITY POLICE
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