As a result of a joint criminal investigation with the Lyndhurst P.D., Nutley Police detectives have brought charges against Michael R. Ruggiero, 22, in connection with a theft of a motor vehicle and auto burglaries at the Senior Citizen Building on William St. two months ago.
Police said an arrest warrant was served on Ruggiero while he was in Bergen County Jail, Hackensack, on unrelated charges stemming from activities in Bergen County.
Ruggiero is charged with two counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of theft and burglary in the Nutley case, police said.
Police said Ruggiero was seen checking unlocked doors of motor vehicles in the parking lot of the Nutley Senior Building at 7 William St. at 1 a.m. on July 20.
Police said that while committing the alleged auto burglaries, Ruggiero found a set of car keys which he reportedly used to steal one senior resident’s vehicle which, police said, was later found in Lyndhurst.
However, none of the proceeds have yet been recovered, police said.
Nutley P.D. logged these other incidents during the past week:
Sept. 13
John Mix, 27, of Paterson, was pulled over while driving on Nutley Ave. at 1:06 a.m. and charged with DWI, police said. Police also issued Mix summonses charging him with driving while suspended, failure to keep right, and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. He was released pending a court date.
Sept. 12
Inclement weather caused a tree limb to snap and damage the roof of a William St. home by protruding into the attic, and also causing overhead power lines to dangle, police said. The incident was reported at 7:50 p.m. The Volunteer Fire Dept. responded and alerted PSE&G to shut power to the house due to hazard from the overhanging electrical wires. The resident was safely evacuated, police said.
At 1:15 p.m., a Franklin Ave. wireless store reported the theft of a cellular phone. The owner told police that a man in his mid-30s, with dark hair, wearing a grey shirt and white pants, walked into the store, took a Samsung Galaxy S4 cell phone from a display and switched it with a fake model of the same phone. The man then left the store, heading south on Franklin Ave., police said. An investigation is ongoing.
A Hancox Ave. resident called police at 12:35 p.m. to report that someone had taken four Ferragamo rims, with tires, from the rear of their driveway. The stolen merchandise was valued at about $2,500, police said.
Sept. 11
The owner of a vehicle parked in the CVS parking lot told police they’d parked in the lot at about 7 a.m. and, upon returning later in the day, found that someone had taken their vehicle’s roof racks valued at $200.
Sept. 9
A Weston St. resident called police at 8:28 a.m. to report that a fence in the rear of their property had been damaged.
Sept. 8
At 6:26 p.m., police received a call from a Franklin Ave. gas station attendant who told officers they’d pumped $34 worth of gas into a vehicle whose driver took off without paying. Police are investigating.
Sept. 7
At 3:15 p.m., police responded to a Passaic Ave. location on a report that two people were sleeping in a driveway. Upon arrival, police said they found two juveniles hiding behind a shed. Police said they learned that the two had been reported as missing from Newark. They were brought to headquarters where their parents were notified and asked to pick up their children.
—Ron Leir
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