The Kearny man who was issued a summons for his involvement in throwing a defenseless dog to the ground on Elm Street in town several months ago finds himself on the wrong side of the law yet again, but this time, it’s significantly more serious and it led to him being thrown in jail, police said.
Joel Perez, 43, of Kearny, was taken into custody by the Kearny Police Department May 4 at around 8 p.m. after an alert Police Officer Anthony Oliveira noticed Perez driving along Kearny Avenue near Midland Avenue.
Oliveira had been aware an arrest warrant had been issued for Perez’s arrest in Newark on April 23 after police there say he allegedly stabbed a person in the back with a sharp object, causing the victim’s lung to collapse.
Oliveira had been on another vehicle pull-over when he reportedly saw Perez.
Oliveira and several backup officers pulled Perez over on the 600 block of Kearny Avenue and ultimately took him into custody. Police say Perez also had nearly $6,000 in cash on him for what he said was “bail.”
However, the state’s bail system is now cashless so it’s unclear whether that information was truthful. It was also unclear whether perhaps Perez was taking preemptive measures, knowing he was a wanted man.
Meanwhile, Perez was charged in the warrant with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and unlawful possession of a weapon. He was also issued a summons by the Kearny PD for having tinted windows which made it difficult to see the driver.
After he was processed in Kearny, Perez was then transferred to the custody of the Newark Police Department and was ultimately sent to the Essex County Jail, pending court.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.