Suspected thief caught in Newark

Photo courtesy Kearny Police Department/Stuart Bradley
Photo courtesy Kearny Police Department/ Noberto Rosario

 

A local man is behind bars after having kept Kearny Police busy during the last couple of weeks.

Stuart Bradley, 34, of Kearny, is in Hudson County Jail, Kearny, on $110,000 bail on a variety of charges.

Police said the Bradley connection surfaced during and after the week of Aug. 13 when the department received numerous calls from residents observing sleeping in a particular red vehicle in locations where motor vehicle burglaries had occurred.

On Aug. 19 at 9 p.m. police were called to Davis Ave. and Hoyt St. where a car theft was reported in progress. Spotting the telltale red vehicle parked nearby, police began checking backyards and, while doing so, flushed out Bradley who was issued a summons for trespassing and allowed to leave.

At 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 21 police came upon Bradley leaving an alley and carrying a bundle wrapped in sheeting at Paterson St. and Alexander Ave. As they approached, police said Bradley tried to conceal a utility plier on the roof rack of a parked car. Searching the bundle, police said they found several GPS units, cell phones and lottery tickets – the types of items commonly taken from motor vehicles but none of which had yet been reported stolen so Bradley was released.

However, police said detectives subsequently located the owners of two motor vehicles that were parked in the area where they’d found Bradley who reported that their vehicles had been broken into and who identified the items found in the bundle as their belongings. This led police to secure warrants for Bradley’s arrest.

As the investigation was proceeding, police said they were called to Bradley’s residence that same day at 8 a.m. where a family member reported being stabbed by Bradley with a screwdriver. By that time, police said, Bradley had fled the house so additional warrants were drawn up for Bradley’s arrest on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.

That night, at 9:30 p.m., police responded to a Chestnut St. location, between Johnston and Woodland Aves., where a resident found someone inside her parked car and tried to pin the intruder inside by holding onto the door, only to be pushed back by the man shoving open the door and fleeing into West Hudson Park. After being shown a photo array of suspects, police said the resident picked out Bradley as the suspected intruder. Additional warrants were prepared charging Bradley with robbery.

On Aug. 23 at 4:30 p.m. police arrested Bradley on Market St. in Newark on the various warrants, including charges of theft from two motor vehicles, and transported him to the county jail where he awaits court action.

In other incidents logged by Kearny Police during the past week:

Police arrested Norberto Rosario, 43, of Kearny, on Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. at a residence near Forest St. and Midland Ave. where police said Rosario appeared to be removing a screen from a door. When confronted by officers, police said Rosario told them he was visiting a friend in the building and was volunteering to repair the screen. But police said the building superintendent told them that the “friend” didn’t live there and that the screen had been intact. Rosario was charged with burglary and possession of a weapon — a folding knife police said they found on the suspect.

Three individuals were arrested in separate drug-related incidents:

Elias Cano, 22, of Kearny, was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute at 9 p.m. on Aug. 22 after police said they observed two suspected drug transactions on Aug. 6 and Aug. 22 on Highland Ave. Police said a search of Cano’s Highland Ave. residence revealed hundreds of plastic bags of various sizes used for packaging drugs and a scale. He was held at the county jail on $60,000 bail, with no 10% option.

Mark Eager, 21, of Kearny, was arrested Aug. 20 at 9:45 p.m. after police said a search of his Quincy Ave. residence uncovered a large amount of marijuana, several scales, packaging paraphernalia and more than $200 which, police surmise, was the proceeds of drug sales. He was booked on various drug charges, including intent to distribute in connection with two suspected drug transactions on Aug. 15 and Aug. 20. He was held at the county jail on $3,500 bail, no 10% option.

And Matthew McGrath, 24, of Rutherford, was arrested on Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the wake of a motor vehicle stop executed by police at Schuyler and Quincy Aves. Police said McGrath, who was a passenger in the vehicle, had 10 bundles of suspected heroin wrapped in a rubber band, six of which were stamped “Crioc” and four were stamped “Coca Cola.” He was charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia and sent to the county jail.

– Ron Leir

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