Turns out a man who got combative with police officers during a warrant arrest on Route 3 would have done himself a favor if he had he kept his mouth shut. Instead, his hostilities triggered police to call for a drug-sniffing dog — and sure enough, those instincts were correct —the suspect had coke on him (not the kind you drink), apparently, Lyndhurst Deputy Chief of Police Paul Haggerty said.
According to Haggerty:
On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, shortly after midnight, Officer Vincent Dinicola was on patrol and traveling west on Rutherford Avenue approaching the intersection of Delafield Avenue as he observed a Red Volkswagen bearing a New Jersey registration traveling east on Rutherford Avenue and merging onto Route 3 east.
A random plate inquiry of the vehicle’s registration revealed its registered owner, Jesus Rivero, 34, of Passaic, to have an active, $750 North Bergen warrant as well as a second active $750 North Bergen.
Additionally, it was also learned the vehicle’s registration was also expired.
Officer Dinicola was able to safely navigate a traffic on Route 3 eastbound and conduct a motor-vehicle stop just prior to the New Jersey Turnpike on ramp.
Officer Dinicola told Rivero exit his vehicle. Upon placing him under arrest and conducting a pat search, Rivero suddenly became extremely confrontational while on the shoulder of the highway. Specifically, he pulled away from Officer Dinicola, turned around and proceeded to obstruct him from searching his upper inner left thigh.
Rivero continued to pull away from Officer Dinicola while yelling, until Officer Angel Batista, who had arrived as backup, was able to assist in physically maintaining Rivero’s stability so Officer Dinicola could complete the search.
Rivero’s confrontational behavior and demeanor prompted Officer Dinicola to request K-9 Officer Michael Walker and K-9 Brody to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle while awaiting a tow truck for the impoundment of the vehicle.
Brody alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle, promoting a search, which yielded two small Ziploc bags containing a white-powdery substance believed to be cocaine and an additional small clear Ziploc containing a white residue, believed to be cocaine. Additionally, a large amount of new and unused small clear zip lock bags, commonly used to package and distribute narcotics, were located.
Rivero was charged with one count of being in possession of a controlled-dangerous substance and one count of obstructing the administration of law or other governmental function. Rivero was also issued summonses for operating an unregistered vehicle and for being in possession of CDS in a motor vehicle.
Rivero was later transported to the Bergen County Jail, Hackensack, on these charges along with his outstanding warrants.
“Officer Dinicola’s traffic stop with the assistance of Officer Walker and K-9 Brody are another example of our agency’s commitment to proactive policing,” Haggerty said. “K-9 Brody’s presence within our department greatly enhances our capabilities to keep drugs out of our community.”
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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.