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Now police are hoping the nearly $400 that was inside will be returned.
Nicholas Demetro, 25, of Ridgewood already was being held on charges of assault and eluding police, stemming from an incident last month in the village.
Wood-Ridge police were called to a pizzeria in their town after the jar was taken on June 13, Detective Joseph Rutigliano told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Surveillance video showed the thief entering the store, placing an order and then swiping the jar without picking up his food, the investigator said.
Detectives learned that the thief might be from Hasbrouck Heights. So they showed the video to detectives there who identified him as Demetro, Rutigliano said.
Family members at Demetro’s house said he was in the county lockup when Rutigliano and Detective Lt. John Korin went to arrest him.
So they went to the jail and served the complaint. Demetro’s bail was doubled, as a result, to $4,000.
“So many families are affected by breast cancer everyday,” Rutigliano said. “It was a good feeling to solve this case.
“Our goal now is to return the money to where it belongs,” the detective told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “I’m hoping he does the right thing and gives it back.”
MUGSHOT: Courtesy WOOD-RIDGE PD
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