Girl approached by man in van
On March 30, a letter was sent to parents of school children, warning about a man in a van who approached a girl near her school.
The incident, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patricia McGeehan, occurred on March 30 around noon near Mary J. Donohoe School.
“While on her way to school during the lunch period, a man in a van stopped and motioned for the girl to come over,” McGeehan said. “The child did not respond and continued on her way to school. The incident was reported to the principal and the police were contacted.”
The Bayonne Police Department, McGeehan said, is investigating the matter and has increased patrols in the area.
“Please speak with your child, encourage them to walk to school with other students and/or with adults, and to immediately report anything suspicious to their parents or teachers,” the letter said.
Police officials said detectives are looking into the matter and do not yet know if the girl was approached or simply was confused by the driver signaling to another car.
“We don’t know if he was signaling to the girl or to let traffic go,” Kubert said. “The van passed her two more times and the driver didn’t call or look at her.”
Kubert said he would order surveillance in the area.
“There is a heightened awareness in the area because of what happened on St. Patrick’s Day,” said Public Safety Director Jason O’Donnell. Police arrested Roman Bilyk, 54, of Bayonne, and charged him with allegedly molesting an 11-year-old girl who was walking to school on March 17.
In that incident, the girl informed the police that a man came up from behind her and squeezed her buttocks near Fourth Street and Broadway.
Deli owner thwarts alleged robbery attempt
A deli owner, with the help of two other pedestrians, held down an alleged would-be robber after foiling his alleged attempt to rob the store using a pellet gun.
Police said Ryan Lapinski, 28, of Bayonne, entered the store on JFK Boulevard and allegedly pointed what turned out to be a pellet gun at the store owner, and allegedly demanded money.
The owner refused, and then made a grab for the weapon, causing Lapinski to flee down Kennedy Boulevard and on to the street. Although Lapinski looked back and allegedly pointed the weapon, the deli owner continued to pursue him. With the help of two bystanders, the owner managed to pin the alleged robber to the ground. The deli owner, however, suffered a laceration on his hand, for which he refused treatment at the time.
The police said a green pair of gloves and a black ski mask were recovered from under Lapinski when he was pulled to his feet.
Lapinski was charged with robbery and sent to the Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearny. His bail was set at $250,000 cash, reports said.
Four car crash raises charges of careless driving
A driver of a black Honda Prelude was charged with reckless driving after two witnesses claimed he was “flying” up Avenue A on March 28, resulting in a four car crash that injured two people and did damage to the porch and stairs of an Avenue A house.
One witness driving behind the Honda – supported by a second witness standing on the sidewalk – said the Honda was tailgating another car, which made a sudden right into 21st Street. In veering across the street, it struck a blue Toyota Camry coming out on to Avenue A from the other side of 21st Street.
The Honda driver blamed the Camry for going through a stop sign, which police said was obscured by an illegally parked car. The Camry ended up on its side after hitting a porch.
The speed of the Honda, however, carried it into a parked car, which struck another parked car, and turned over several times before stopping upside down in the middle of Avenue A.
Of the three passengers in the Honda, a 14-year-old girl was injured and taken to Jersey City Medical Center for a possible head injury. The 62-year-old woman driving the Camry was also taken to the hospital.
The Honda driver was given tickets for careless driving and improper passing.
Wild ride ends in crash for two teenage girls
Two teenage girls from Jersey City were charged with allegedly stealing a white Chevy van from the parking lot of Stop & Shop Gourmet Catering on Avenue A after allegedly eluding police and crashing the vehicle near Route 440 and East 22nd Street on March 28.
A police spokesperson said a patrol car saw the van driving down Avenue E without headlights. When the police car tried to stop the vehicle, it sped up, turned on to East 21st Street and eventually turned the wrong way on Route 440 before crashing into the highway divider and flipping over.
The 17-year-old driver was thrown from the van for about 50 feet, while the 15-year-old passenger remained in the vehicle secured by a seat belt. Both where sent to Jersey City Medical Center, where the driver was admitted.
The driver has been charged with DWI, eluding police, and possession of a stolen vehicle. The passenger was charged with receiving stolen property.
Fake repairman busted
Mark J. Cooper, 43, of Lodi, was charged with impersonating a public servant after he allegedly approached a woman on 26th Street offering to do repairs on her driveway.
The woman told the man to come back, and then called the police, who were waiting when Cooper returned.
A police spokesperson said Cooper claimed to work for the city Department of Transportation and was doing a nearby repair, offering to use the leftover materials for the repair of her driveway.
Cooper also had an outstanding warrant for $81 and an expired auto insurance card.
GPS unit stolen, attempted theft of another and a bicycle
A global positioning unit worth $195 was taken from a station wagon parked on Marina Drive between 7 a.m. on March 29 and 10 a.m. on March 30, said a police spokesperson.
A resident of Boatworks looked out of his window on March 29 and saw someone trying to break into his vehicle. He banged on his window, alarming the thief, who took off with a GPS unit worth about $125 and about $10 in loose change.
A girl, who left her bicycle unattended to go into a store on March 30 at about 3:15 p.m. on Avenue A, returned to find the bicycle missing. The bicycle was valued at about $100.
Cosmetic theft alleged
Blanca R. Calle, 59, of Bayonne, was charged with shoplifting from ShopRite on March 29, when she allegedly tried to leave the store without paying for $118 worth of cosmetics.