Making a bad situation worse

On July 5, officers responded to 414 Main St. at 10:05 p.m. on a report of a burglarized vehicle. The owner of the car told police that she had left her car in the lot and gone shopping. When she returned, she saw a white bicycle beside her car door and also noticed that her car door was open. She saw a white male with a shaved head sitting in the driver’s seat. When he saw her, he fled north on Main St. Shortly thereafter, police found a man fitting that description on Little St. While being questioned, the man struck the officer in the chest and jumped back onto his bicycle. He continued to resist arrest until police used pepper spray to gain his compliance. Michael Mcinerney, 34, of Belleville, was charged with burglary, aggravated assault on police, and resisting arrest.

In other Belleville Police happenings:

July 7

Officers patrolling Joralemon St. observed a vehicle crossing over the yellow lines in an attempt to pass two vehicles. When they stopped the car near the Belleville Ave. and Celia Terrace intersection, the driver attempted to jump out of the vehicle. He was told to remain in the vehicle and asked for his credentials. After a few volleys where he refused to produce I.D., he finally relented and officers returned to their vehicle. With that, the man approached the police vehicle with his left hand in his pocket. He was told to remove his hand and return to his vehicle. After refusing to do so, Rogelio Fuentes, 34, of Newark, was placed under arrest for obstructing justice and issued motor vehicle tickets. He was later released.

July 4

At 8:08 p.m., officers were detailed to 20 Montgomery St. on a disturbance call. There, they encountered numerous individuals yelling and screaming. After separating the main groups, they learned that the occurrence was a family argument that had turned hostile. One man stated that another had a weapon, and that he grabbed a baseball bat to protect himself. The other man denied this, saying that he was the one being threatened by the man with the bat. With that, two men in the group turned irate. They were told to stop but continued and were arrested. Antonio Nieves, 28, of Newark, was arrested for disorderly conduct and a $125 warrant from Newark. Juan Nieves, 34, of Watchung, was charged with disorderly conduct.

July 2

Officers were dispatched to 6 Essex St. at 2:26 p.m. on a front-door alarm call. When they arrived, they noticed that the door had been forced open. No one was inside and nothing appeared to be missing.

July 1

An officer patrolling the area of Watchung Ave. and Newark Ave. observed a woman walking in the roadway at 9:08 a.m. Concerned for her well being the woman was stopped. Lisa Cirasella, 40, from Newark was found to have an outstanding $204 warrant from Belleville. She was held on that warrant.

-Jeff Bahr

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