Nutley police arrest suspicious man who had warrants

During the past week, the Nutley Police Department responded to 120 calls for service, including 14 motor vehicle crashes and 38 medical calls. Among those responses were these incidents:

Aug. 23

Officers on patrol came across a man walking north on Franklin Ave. who fit a description broadcast by detectives of someone who had committed acts of criminal mischief on Aug. 15 on Franklin. The suspect was described as an African-American man with dreadlocks. Officers interviewed the man, identified as Earnest Bradley, 33, of Newark, and learned he was wanted on a warrant from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office. He was later turned over to that agency for processing.

Aug. 25

A motorist was traveling south on a section of Ridge Road that had been recently milled for paving when a large rock punctured one of the tires, police said.

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A Franklin Ave. shopper told police that another patron screamed at them for the way they’d parked and, as they pulled away, the patron made a threatening comment. The person who made the report was advised they had a right to file a court complaint if they could positively identify the patron.

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A customer at a Burger King on Franklin Ave. told police they’d left a set of keys on a counter but didn’t realize it until they went to their vehicle. Upon returning to the eatery, the customer learned from a counter clerk that the keys had been picked up by a woman she described as Latina, in her 50s or 60s, about 5-feet-five, with short brown hair, who already had a set of keys in her hand. Police said they canvassed the area but found no one matching the description.

Aug. 26

After spotting a man slumped over while seated in a chair on Prospect St., police said that when they approached to check on him, they detected a strong odor of suspected marijuana. When asked about that, police said the man, identified as Fernando Acosta, 18, of Nutley, removed from his pocket a plastic bag filled with marijuana and handed it over. After the substance was found to test positive for the drug, police charged Acosta with possession of marijuana and was released pending a court date.

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A King St. resident reported the theft of two green stretch hoses from outside their home during the night.

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Someone got into a Jeep parked on Bloomfield Ave., opened the glove box and center console and dumped the contents of each onto the passenger front seat. The owner provided police with a list of items missing. Police said they found no signs of forced entry.

Aug. 27

Police responded to a Wilson St. location on a report of a suspicious incident. The caller told police she saw two males standing near a Nissan and Ford parked in her driveway and that when the pair noticed her, they ran west on Wilson. Going outside, the caller told police she noticed a lawn flag on the Nissan and a computer-printed sign on the Ford. Police said both items were taken from across the street where the township is “fogging” starlings in the park. The lawn flag was replaced but the sign had been ripped and was discarded, police said.

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Three separate scams were reported to police:

— Someone put through an order for a $105 Cuisinart electric kettle and charged it to a King St. resident’s Macy’s account without authorization, to be shipped to a location in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The resident said that two other attempts had been made to charge transactions to their account which has now been closed.

— A resident whose cellular phone service had been deactivated learned from Verizon, the service provider, that someone in Roland Heights, Calif., had bought two Apple iPhone 5 phones and set them up utilizing the resident’s account information, thereby disabling the resident’s service.

— Someone opened a fictitious water account with the township in the name of a resident who told police she’s a tenant and, therefore, not responsible for water payments. The resident told police she’s tried, unsuccessfully, to remedy the issue with her landlord and the township.

Aug. 28

Another resident reported being a fraud victim via a phone scam. Police said the resident told them they got a call from someone in the 202 area code claiming to be from the IRS, informing them that they owed the IRS $6,000 and instructed them to purchase money orders and wire the money by phone. The resident bought four money orders for $500 each and provided the caller with the information. Police tried to reach the caller without success. They advised the victim to call their bank to put a hold on the money transfer.

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Police, acting on a report of a dispute, responded to Prospect and Race Sts. There they found two individuals talking to each other. One of them, Gabriella Ilaria, 21, of Belleville, was found to have two active warrants from Clifton and East Orange, police said. After she couldn’t post bail, she was turned over to East Orange PD.

Aug. 29

Police responded to an Alexander Ave. location on a report of an animal bite. Police said a resident was walking their dog when a black Labrador Retriever that had been reportedly running around the neighborhood ran up to the other dog and bit it. The Lab’s owner was issued a summons charging dog at large and unlicensed dog.

– Ron Leir

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