Get back in line
Two men face assault and other charges after apparently arguing with a member of the Division of Motor Vehicles staff about being relocated on line.
On Sept. 30, Hayatulla Qalati, a 30-year-old Linden man, was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief, hindering apprehension, and disorderly conduct after he allegedly smashed a plastic computer tray, a piece of which struck the DMV employee in the eye.
An off-duty Bayonne police officer, working security, intervened after hearing the argument, in which Qalati allegedly cursed the DMV. A police spokesperson said Njai B. Popal, 24, of Flushing, N.Y., a friend of Qalati, allegedly started to argue with the officer, and when he allegedly refused to stop, he was arrested. Popal, police said, allegedly refused to be handcuffed, shoving the officer and attempting to back away. Popal was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
Qalati allegedly attempted to stop the officer from arresting Popal and was also arrested.
The DMV employee declined treatment.
Pain in the head
A truck driver allegedly hit himself in the head in order to allegedly fake a robbery of his own truck on Oct. 5 and was charged with attempting to steal about $3,000 in cash.
Police said Luis A. Rodriguez, 27, of Paterson, came into the police station allegedly saying that he was making a delivery behind a store on Broadway when he was attacked, and cash at a value of between $2,000 to $3,000 had been removed from the center consol of his cab, as well as some checks. After being treated for the head injury at the Bayonne Medical Center, the police said the truck driver admitted he had hit himself in the head in an attempt to keep the money.
DWI arrest near Avenue A
Cesar F. Saravia, 31, of Bayonne, was charged with Driving While Intoxicated after police stopped him near Avenue A and 16th Street on Oct. 2. A police spokesperson said patrol officers saw a black Infinity I30 weaving and nearly hitting parked cars as it traveled west on 16th Street. When stopped, Saravia allegedly had red eyes, slurred speech, and smelled of alcohol. The police said he was too unstable to perform field dexterity tests so he was brought to the Jersey City Police Department, where he was tested by the Breathalyzer. The police said his level was .213. In New Jersey, a level above .08 is considered drunk.
Boat rescue
Police along with other public safety officials responded to the area of BoatWorks on Oct. 1 after two teens, a boy and a girl, flashed a distress signal from the water. The Fire Department rescue boat – launched from the 16th Street boat launch – rescued the teens, who said they had found the boat on the shore area near Washington Parkway. The teens apparently paddled the boat out into the water and found themselves in the shipping lanes near Port Newark. The boat owner could not be located because the address associated with the number on the boat was no longer valid.
Meanwhile, police are investigating theft and criminal mischief conducted at the Robbin’s Reef Boat Club near where the teens were found to see if there is a connection.
While some news outlets have tried to make the connection, Public Safety Director Jason O’Donnell said no evidence yet exists to connect the two.
“But the matter is under investigation,” he said.
Someone broke into about eight boats on the same night, did an estimated $4,200 worth of damage, and made off with a variety of items, including a CD player, a laptop computer, clock radio, liquor bottles, and a wine bottle opener.
Broadway crash
Thomas Gerrin, 82, of Bayonne, was charged with careless driving after he crashed his silver Chevy Malibu into a store front at 458 Broadway at about 11:16 a.m. on Oct. 4.
A police spokesperson said that Gerrin did not recall hitting an 87-year-old woman on 21st Street near Avenue C. His report of the incident said he had pulled out of a parking space when his foot hit the gas instead of the brake, causing his car to crash into the front of the storefront. City inspectors later determined that the store damage was cosmetic, not structural, and allowed the store to remain open.
The police, however, said a report from a witness indicated that the car struck an 87-year-old woman, tossing her into the air, before the car sped off to eventually strike the building.
Both Gerrin and the woman were transported to the hospital, but neither had life threatening injuries.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.