April Fool’s joke arrest
Police charged Blanca Duran, 43, Hoboken, with a false public alarm after an apparent April Fool’s Day text went awry.
At 1:40 p.m. on April 1, police responded to a call of a burglary at a restaurant on the 200 block of Hudson Street. Upon finding no such occurrence at that location or other similar locations in Hoboken, police contacted the man who called in the burglary.
The man told police he had received a text message from his girlfriend, Duran, that allegedly stated, “OMG, there is a robbery going on in the store I’m in hiding call 911 [sic],” according to police.
Police contacted the girlfriend, Blanca Duran. According to police, Duran said she had sent him the text as as an April Fool’s joke. Nevetheless, they charged her.
Gave out his digits
Police have charged George Darrow, 27, of Paramus, with theft of services after he and a group of friends allegedly skipped out on a bar tab on Friday, March 19.
The manager of a Washington Street bar and restaurant told police last week that the group of men allegedly walked out after leaving a $191 bar tab, and that several attempts to contact a member of the party failed to resolve the situation.
While the men had been eating and drinking, the manager observed one of them approach a group of women sitting nearby. So after the manager found out the men had apparently left without paying their bill, the manager asked the women if they knew the man who had come to their table. One woman said the man told her his name was “George” and had offered his phone number, which the woman gave to the manager.
The manager called the number and “George” answered, telling her that there had been a mix-up and that someone would return to settle the tab.
However, the manager told police that when the bill was not paid by the next day, the owner contacted “George” to arrange payment. But no one came to pay, and the bar was subsequently unable to contact “George” again.
Police used the phone number and bar surveillance videos to track down George Darrow, they said.
Police nab man with 11 warrants, nameless uncle
After police arrested Edwin Montanez, 41, of Perth Amboy, for defiant trespassing and possession of a hypodermic syringe with needle, they also found that the man allegedly had 11 outstanding warrants, they said.
Police found Montanez walking in the hallway during their floor patrols of the public housing building at 311 Harrison St. in Hoboken.
Montanez told police he did not live in the building, but was visiting his uncle. According to police, Montanez said his uncle lived in apartment 9J, but later said 9G. Either way, apartments in the building do not have letters, police said.
Additionally, police said that Montanez told them that he could not remember his uncle’s first name, only his last, Rodriguez.
Police arrested Montanez for defiant trespassing and found two hypodermic syringes with needles and orange-colored caps, they said.
Police also found 11 warrants out for Montanez, including four from Hillside and two each from Perth Amboy and Elizabeth, they said.