North Bergen
Allegedly ‘careless’ motorcyclist gets tickets
A 21-year-old Carlstadt, N.J. resident allegedly drove his motorcycle recklessly in traffic while a North Bergen Police officer attempted to pull him over, said police.
Police Capt. Gerald Sanzari said that Daniel Nojek was driving on Tonnelle Avenue on Aug. 21 when Officer Constantino Apostonakos spotted him. Nojek allegedly was swerving his blue Honda motorcycle in and out of lanes while looking over his shoulder at the police officer.
When Apostonakos tried to get within a car length of Nojek to read his license plate, the motorcyclist allegedly “rapidly” accelerated forward, said Sanzari. The officer was unable to read the plates because they were “flush with the rear wheel.”
Chief Jay Ziegler said that the highest speed recorded was 70 miles per hour.
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Sanzari said that Nojek pulled over after reaching the Secaucus Road overpass. He was read his rights and placed under arrest.
After receiving summonses for improper display of a license plate and careless driving, he was released.
Chase ends in crash
Jose Hortado, 47, of North Bergen was arrested early on the morning of Aug. 21 after he led police from Leonia to North Bergen where he crashed the allegedly stolen pickup truck he was driving into an apartment building nearby North Bergen High School, said police.
According to Leonia Police Chief Jay Ziegler, at about 1:16 a.m. Sgt. Scott Tamagny was patrolling the area on Fort Lee Road by Curmley Terrace when he observed a 1985 Dodge pickup truck. When he ran its license plates, the vehicle came back as stolen out of Weehawken on Aug. 16.
Tamagny followed the vehicle east into Fort Lee while he used his radio to coordinate a larger police response. When he stopped near the Port Authority building in the area, he activated his overhead lights and the vehicle came to a stop at a red light. Ziegler said that Tamagny got out of his vehicle and approached Hortado, but Hortado allegedly sped through the red light onto Hudson Terrace, heading toward North Bergen.
Ziegler said the highest speed recorded in the chase was 70 miles per hour.
After Hortado crashed the vehicle on Kennedy Boulevard by 75th Street he tried to flee on foot, but Tamagny was able to apprehend him and place him under arrest, said Ziegler.
Hortado was brought back to Leonia for processing and then transported to Hudson County Jail on a $25,000 bail bond with no ten percent bond option.
He was charged with eluding police, resisting arrest and being in possession of a stolen vehicle. Ziegler said that Hortado has an extensive history of burglary, theft, stealing motor vehicles, resisting arrest and narcotics possession.
Two arrested in alleged marijuana sale
Publio Cantos, 30, and George Perez, 19, were arrested on Aug. 19 after they were involved in an alleged marijuana transaction.
According to Capt. Gerald Sanzari, a North Bergen police officer was patrolling the Meadowview Village area on 64th Street around 6 p.m. when he observed a man, later identified as Cantos, speaking with Perez, who was known to the agency. The officer observed them making a hand to hand transaction, in which Cantos allegedly handed Perez money for an unidentified object.
Sanzari said that the officer observed Cantos enter a beige Mitsubishi and continue onto Kennedy Boulevard while talking on his cell phone before pulling him over.
Cantos told the officer that he was coming from his Newkirk Avenue residence after police pulled him over, but allegedly admitted that he had just bought three bags of marijuana for $25 after the officer explained that he had been watching him, said Sanzari. He was released on a summons.
Perez was arrested around 7 p.m. and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, possession within a school zone, and possession within a housing complex. He was given $20,000 bail with no ten percent bond option by Judge Nino Falcone.
Tires stolen overnight
Sanzari said that one 38-year-old North Bergen resident awoke to discover his tires had been stolen off his 2008 white two-door Infinity.
The victim had parked his car at 11 p.m. on Aug. 22 on J.F.K. Boulevard East, but next morning he noticed that all four tires were missing and that two bricks were put under both sides of the undercarriage to hold up the car, causing damage to the body.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.