North Bergen police arrested three men last week, two of whom are currently employed as custodians in the West New York school district, related to a drug surveillance outside a North Bergen Housing Authority complex on Meadowview Avenue.
According to Detective Joseph Gener, who is the public information officer for the North Bergen Police Department, police were acting on complaints that a resident of the housing complex at 5802 Meadowview Ave. was allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
“We received some information from an anonymous resident who said there was someone dealing drugs in the building,” Gener said. “So acting on the tip, we set up some officers from the patrol division on surveillance outside of the building.”
Last Friday night, officers had enough information to make the arrests.
“Our officers noticed that a suspect would be greeted outside the building and he would get in a vehicle,” Gener said. “After they drove around the block and the [alleged] deal was made inside the car, he was let out of the vehicle and went back upstairs to his apartment. Based on the police identification, we realized that it was a distribution problem.”
Police pulled over a black Jeep with three people inside, including the suspect, 27-year-old Erisnaldo Rafael Reyes-Jimenez, and found five bags of cocaine inside the vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Nino Iglesias of Union City, and another passenger, 34-year-old Daniel Kelly of Ridgefield Park, were also taken into custody.
Reyes-Jimenez was charged with possession of narcotics, intent to distribute, and distributing within 1,500 feet of a school.
Kelly was charged with possession, while Iglesias was charged with loitering with the purpose of obtaining drugs.
Reyes-Jimenez was taken to Hudson County Jail in Kearny, where he remains in custody. Bail was set at $50,000.
Kelly and Iglesias were issued summonses and released.
Kelly is the head custodian at Public School 2 in West New York. Iglesias is the head custodian at School 1.
West New York Superintendent of Schools Anthony Yankovich apparently found out about the arrests of his two employees by reading a local newspaper Monday morning. He immediately suspended both men with pay until the criminal complaints against them are heard in court.
“Until we know for sure, this is the way it worked out,” said Richard Loschiavo, the assistant superintendent of facilities for the district.
Yankovich was not available for comment.
Loschiavo said if the two men are convicted of drug possession, they will be terminated.
“It’s something we view very seriously,” Loschiavo said. “That’s why we took the action that we did. I’m sure it’s everyone’s feeling that when children are involved, you have to be as cautious as possible.”
Loschiavo said that both Kelly and Iglesias are considered “good workers who were doing a good job.”
“This comes as a shock to all of us,” Loschiavo said. Both Kelly and Iglesias have been employed by the West New York Board of Education for several years, but were promoted to their respective head custodial roles within the last two years.
Gener said Reyes-Jimenez faces eviction from the North Bergen Housing Authority complex if he is convicted of his charges.
“Because it is a federally subsidized facility, he is subject to eviction, based on the outcome of what happens,” Gener said.