Police have arrested a man who allegedly struck his wife in the face with a plate on Valentine’s Day because he was angry she had not made dinner for him.
According to Commander of the North Bergen Detective Bureau Lt. Frank Cannella, Antonio Franklin, 48, of Cottage Avenue returned home on Feb. 14 at 1:30 p.m. and was angry that his wife had not made dinner for him. While heating up his dinner in the microwave, he began to argue with his wife as she cleaned the kitchen, said Cannella.
“While holding the plate in his hand he [allegedly] decided to strike his wife in the face,” said Cannella.
The man was confronted by the friend’s little sisters.
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Cannella said that the 38-year-old female victim suffered lacerations and a deep gash on her forehead.
He said that the victim was treated by EMTs, but refused further medical attention.
Franklin was charged with aggravated assault and sent Hudson County Jail. Judge Nino Falcone set his bail at $5,000 with no bail bond option.
Police arrest two in break-in, assault
A 20-year-old man who police say was angry over waiting for a “friend” to pay a debt broke into the man’s house and allegedly threatened to kill his family last week, police said.
According to Cannella, James Pellet, 20, of Cliffside Park, called his friend’s cell phone on Feb. 12, and when the friend’s mother answered, Pellet told her that her son owned him money.
Soon afterward, Pellet showed up at their Smith Avenue residence and allegedly forced entry into the home’s wooden door with a metal baseball bat, police said.
He was confronted by 7-year-old and 13-year-old siblings of his indebted friend, and allegedly struck the younger girl in the face and kicked the other female in the thigh, police said. He then allegedly threatened to kill the son and the rest of the family, said Cannella.
The victim’s other 18-year-old son heard the commotion from his bedroom. With his help they were able to push Pellet out of the apartment.
Pellet then allegedly jumped into his Mercury Mountaineer with an unidentified driver, but left a Nike sneaker behind, said Cannella. The shoe was sent to the state police lab.
The victims were taken to police headquarters, where they identified the driver as Daniel “Nasty” Bonastia, 21, of Cliffside Park. Then, Bonastia happened to be arrested by Cliffside Park Police about 30 minutes after the apartment incident in an unrelated robbery case, said Cannella.
After further investigation, police identified Pellet as the other individual in the apartment and arrested him at 2:30 a.m. at his home.
After being taken into custody, Pellet allegedly gave police a full confession and said that he had lent the “friend” money, which had not been paid back.
Pellet was charged with burglary, robbery, criminal mischief, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, terroristic threats and three counts of simple assault. Bonastia was charged with conspiracy to commit the above charges.
Both were transferred to Hudson County Jail on $25,000 bail.
Coffee, van stolen
Cannella said that on Feb. 14 around 7:40 a.m. three individuals broke into three vehicles at the Café Bustelo warehouse, 5200 West Side Ave., then combined the stolen goods into one vehicle before stealing and driving off with it. The distributor’s surveillance cameras caught three individuals entering the property in a black car and leaving with one van.
He said that four months ago, on Nov. 9, 2009 two vehicles with coffee and supplies were stolen from the same distributor. In that incident, police said one of the vehicles was recovered in Newark, but none of the stolen goods.
They were also able to obtain a DNA sample, due to one of the suspects cutting their hand. They are still awaiting results from the New Jersey State Police Crime Lab.
No vehicles have been recovered from the Feb. 14 incident. He said each vehicle had espresso, several types of coffee, and coffee pots, and a GPS, all valued at around $2,000. The 2003 Ford van stolen was valued at $2500.
Cannella said that the investigation is ongoing.
He said police are also looking into whether or not there is a connect to a similar incident in Fairfield, N.J., in which a potato chip distributor was burglarized.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.