That outfit is dynamite!
The Jersey City Bomb Squad was called by the Hoboken Police Department on July 1 at 7:30 p.m. after a suspicious package was found near a truck in the Madison Street Shop Rite parking lot.
Police closed off the northeast entrance and diverted traffic from the area after a suitcase was seen in the rear of the lot with no one near it, according to police.
After taking x-rays of the interior, the bomb squad attempted to open the case using a robot.
Since they could not open the suitcase, they blew up the lock using a water pressure canon.
The suitcase turned out to contain articles of clothing.
After the area was cleared, a Teaneck man approached police to tell them the suitcase was his. He apologized for his absentmindedness, and was given a plastic bag for his belongings (or what was left of them).
Late night snack turns into late night robbery
A Hoboken man was allegedly robbed of $400 while purchasing pizza at 4:30 a.m. on Jackson Street on July 3, according to police.
The man said two black males entered the establishment, spoke to the victim, and then grabbed the money from his pants pocket during a purchase, according to a police report.
Police say they reviewed surveillance tapes from the store, confirming the incident, and are now investigating the case based on the camera footage.
Alleged fake check-casher busted
A 21-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y. man was arrested and charged with forgery, bad checks, and wrongful impersonation on July 5 after he allegedly tried to cash a fake check for almost $5,000.
Police were dispatched to a downtown River Street bank on the report of a person allegedly attempting to cash a fake check. The bank employee was stalling the customer, identified as David Barr, according to police.
Police instructed Barr to stay where he was, but after he walked toward police, they handcuffed him, according to a police report.
A bank employee told police that this was the second time in the same day that a person tried to cash a check using the same company name. Earlier in the day, the bank deposited the check before they realized it was fake.
Woman finds her own stolen radio
A Hoboken woman allegedly had her car radio stolen on July 5 at 2:50 a.m., and then she conducted her own investigation to locate the alleged perpetrators, according to police.
The woman double parked outside of a liquor store downtown on Willow Avenue and went inside to make a purchase. When she returned to the vehicle she noticed that her car radio was missing, and two men standing nearby said they saw two males in a red vehicle take the radio out of her car, according to police.
The woman then looked for the red car, and saw two men sitting in a similar vehicle on the 500 block of Marshall Drive. She then called police.
Officers say they approached the parked vehicle with the men inside and saw a car radio in the back seat, later identified by the victim as the missing radio.
Jamerson Ladson, 30, of Jersey City, and Lavada Evans, 29, of Bayonne, were charged with receiving stolen property. Police could not locate the witnesses from the alleged incident to take a statement.
Police make cocaine arrest downtown
A 45-year-old Jersey City man allegedly had more than just breath mints in his Altoids can, according to police.
On June 27, at approximately 10 p.m., police arrested Salvatore Spadafora on charges of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Hoboken Police Department Anti-Vice Unit said they observed Spadafora walking downtown while making a patting motion with his fingers on top of a white cigarette-like object.
Police circled the block and approached him on Park Avenue, and observed him allegedly in possession of a white and tan metal cigarette that police say is commonly used to smoke marijuana. They also allege that Spadafora had a wooden case object commonly used to hold a “one hitter” pipe and marijuana.
He was arrested for possession of paraphernalia, and then police say they noticed the paraphernalia was allegedly packed with marijuana that had not been smoked. He also allegedly had a green and white Altoids breath mint can containing white bags of a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine.
Police arrested Spadafora, and also seized $170 in his possession as alleged proceeds from narcotic sales and distribution.
Woman sexually ‘contacted’ near Ninth Street Light Rail
A 19-year-old Jersey City woman was “sexually contacted” near the Ninth Street Light Rail station in Hoboken on June 27 at approximately 9:50 p.m., according to police.
The woman was riding her bicycle toward the station when one of her bike gears came loose. While fixing her bike, she was approached by two males who allegedly made sexual advances toward her, according to police.
The woman said one of the men straddled the front tire of her bicycle between his legs. The other one allegedly forced his hands down her pants after making a sexually explicit comment.
The woman said she shoved him away, but was then allegedly punched in the right eye, according to police.
The man who straddled the bike was described as a light-skinned Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet 7 inches, with short black hair and a chin strap of facial hair, in his late 20s to early 30s. He was also described as thin but toned, with tattoos on his chest and arms.
The second male, a Hispanic man, had a “long, greased hair style” and was taller and stockier than the other man, with several tattoos on his arms, police said. Inside his forearm was a tattoo that read “Julian,” she said.
She said the men allegedly took her iPod and fled the scene, but she wasn’t able to see in which direction they went.
After telling her father about the robbery, the victim and her father spoke to New Jersey Transit Police who handed the case over to the Hoboken Police Department. The incident is being investigated, and police are reviewing surveillance cameras at the Ninth Street and Second Street Light Rail stops.
‘Certified fire security expert’ arrested in Pier C Park
A 35-year-old Jersey City man wearing a military-style tactical mesh vest was arrested at Pier C Park on a failure-to-appear warrant from a judge in Jersey City after several children approached officers stating there was a suspicious male inside the children’s playground area.
After police saw the man inside the jungle gym, they asked him to come down.
Police say they asked the man if he was with anyone else in the park, to which he replied no. Then, police asked “Why are you in this park?”
His response was that he is a certified fire security expert, and he was observing the jungle gym and the nearby surrounding buildings.
Police checked him for warrants and arrested Odel Hakim Hoard, 35, after police found he was allegedly wanted on an outstanding warrant on the complaint of a judge in Jersey City for failure to appear.
Quiet on the set!
Police were in for a bit of a surprise after they came across a man being “assaulted” with a “pipe” covered in “blood” on Court Street downtown on June 20.
However, it was all just an act.
One man holding a prop handgun announced to police immediately that they were filming an independent movie, and that their weapons were fake.
The other man told police he was in possession of a fake knife, and the “blood” turned out to be nothing more than chocolate syrup, according to police.
Police noticed a camera on a tripod nearby.
The two men allegedly did not have a filming permit, and they were issued summonses for filming without a permit and disturbing the peace, according to police.
Stolen music
A Hoboken man reported that someone has been taking his packages from his downtown Willow Avenue residential building lobby, according to police.
Some time between June 24 and June 27, someone took two of his packages. After noticing they were missing, the victim checked online and confirmed the delivery of two packages with the United States Postal Service.
One package included a $375 Apple iPod Touch, and another contained a $20 vinyl record. An investigation is underway.
Car burglarized on 10th and Park
A man returned to his parked car on June 28 at approximately 10 a.m. to find more than $200 worth of merchandise stolen from his vehicle, according to police.
The man said he believes he forgot to lock his doors when he parked on June 27 at 12 p.m. on Park Avenue near 10th Street.
When he returned the next morning, police say, the man noticed his $150 Global Positioning System, $30 Sprint cell phone charger, a battery charger pack valued at $40, a black leather wallet with credit cards, a Social Security card, and a driver’s license were missing from the vehicle.
Police are investigating.