Two men just couldn’t resist exposing their privates in stores in Lyndhurst, all within a few days of each other, beginning on Independence Day, Det. Capt. Vincent Auteri, of the Lyndhurst Police Department, said.
On Friday, July 4, 2025, at approximately 11:30 a.m., officers from the Lyndhurst PD, responded to a business in the 500 block of New York Avenue, following a report of a man inside the store wearing transparent shorts and exposing himself.
Upon arrival, Officer Mark Rivera and Officer Sal Wartel spoke with a store employee who reported a man entered the store wearing see-through shorts that exposed his genitalia while in the presence of several patrons. The store employees informed the individual he would not be served and directed him to leave the premises. The suspect then exited the store before police arrival.
The investigation led officers to identify the suspect as John Gajda, of North Arlington.
The North Arlington Police Department assisted in contacting Gajda at his residence, where he was located wearing the same clothing described by witnesses. Det. Michael Giangeruso also responded to the scene and reviewed the surveillance video which confirmed the actions of the suspect.
Gajda was taken into custody by Lyndhurst Police and charged with one count of lewdness in the fourth-degree, and one count of lewdness, a disorderly persons offense.
Gajda was released on a complaint summons and is scheduled to appear in court July 16, 2025.
The Lyndhurst PD thanked the North Arlington PD for its assistance in this case.
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Three days later, on Monday, July 7, 2025, at approximately 11 a.m., officers from the Lyndhurst Police Department responded to a business in the 400 block of Lewandowski Street on a report of a man exposing himself to a female employee inside the store.
Upon arrival, Sgt. Philip Reina and Officer Golda spoke with a victim who reported while she was working, an unknown man approached her, pulled down the front of his pants and exposed his genitalia. The suspect then proceeded to flee the scene and was observed getting into a white-colored luxury automobile. The suspect was described as an elderly man in his 60s with white hair and wearing a dark shirt and dark pants.
Following a coordinated response, Officer Brian Kapp and Det. Steve Batista located the suspected vehicle unoccupied in a parking garage on Wall Street West. The registered owner of the vehicle was identified as Jeff Johnson.
Moments later, Sgt. Christopher Cuneo observed a man matching the description of Johnson traveling north on Garland Way in a different luxury automobile. Sgt. Cuneo executed a motor-vehicle stop of the vehicle and, after being joined by Det. Batista and Officer Kapp, Johnson was detained once it was determined he was the party responsible for alleged the lewd act.
Johnson was charged with one count of lewdness, a fourth-degree crime, before being remanded to the Bergen County Jail, Hackensack.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served 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 social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, 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 Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.