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Police said a City of Newburgh detective allegedly spotted Alberto Rivera, of Newburgh, 25, who the detective knew was wanted by authorities, riding a bicycle on Broadway on Friday, Oct. 1 at approximately 1:25 p.m.
When the detective stopped his vehicle in Rivera's path, police said, the wanted man fled the scene; the detective saw the wanted man discard a backpack, which was recovered later by police in the same pizzeria backyard where the initial detective caught up to Rivera.
“The community of Newburgh has faced its share of crime, and those who wish to live there peacefully don’t need another reminder of the long list of threats posed by illegal guns and drugs," said FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr.
"Rivera was already on parole for unrelated crimes, the conditions of which he was in violation on the night an on-duty detective noticed him while on patrol. In an effort to escape arrest, he allegedly tossed the backpack he was carrying, and the contents along with it, aside.
"Unfortunately for him, that’s not how this works. Federal charges don’t get tossed to the side, and the penalties they carry are usually pretty severe.”
Rivera was charged with felonies for:
- Possessing narcotics with an intent to distribute, which carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
- Carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, which carries a minimum sentence of 5 years
- Being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison
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