While most Christmas presents found their way to the tree by Dec. 25, at least a handful sit in the evidence locker at One Police Plaza, rescued from the hands of thieves.
After observing a recent spike in package thefts, the Hoboken Police Department apprehended three alleged thieves in the month of December, including one man found with over 15 items for which he could not produce a receipt, police said.
On Dec. 10, police received reports of a burglary and theft at 403 Bloomfield St., according to a police report. A man living nearby at 412 Washington St. said his doorbell had been rung that afternoon by someone identifying himself as UPS, but with a voice he did not recognize. The resident denied the man entry and went to his fire escape. He told police he observed a Hispanic male in a baseball hat and hooded jacket walking away.
The witness sent his son to follow this man, later identified by police as 52-year-old Elliot Dumont. The son allegedly witnessed Dumont exiting 403 Bloomfield St. with a bookbag and a plastic bag containing several packages, according to police.
After confirming Dumont’s identity via surveillance video from the same day at 2 Marineview Plaza, a location police said he is allegedly known to frequent, police issued a warrant on Dec. 11 for Dumont’s arrest on charges of burglary and theft.
According to Detective Vito Gigante, Dumont was apprehended on Dec. 18. Dumont had an additional outstanding warrant for failure to pay over $49,000 issued by the Hudson County Superior Court Chancery Division, Family Part this past May, police said.
Another alleged thief is 55-year-old Craig Davis of Jersey City. For the entire week leading up to Dec. 17, a plain clothes package theft detail led by Detectives Christopher Markey, Anthony Olivera, and Richard Torres had observed Davis allegedly “wandering aimlessly while randomly looking within the gated areas of residences, and sometimes entering beyond the gate,” according to a police report.
On Dec. 13, police received a call that a man matching Davis’ description had attempted to take a package from the steps of 709 Park Ave. When confronted by a resident, police said, the man allegedly explained, “I was just fixing myself.”
Davis was ultimately stopped on the afternoon of Dec. 17 after he was spotted by the package theft detail walking down Washington Street with two overflowing plastic bags. According to police, the bags contained 15 total items, including children’s clothes from the Gap, lingerie from Victoria’s Secret, animal toys, and a pair of REI brand gloves.
In his report, Det. Markey said that Davis was visibly nervous and would not make eye contact with him and his fellow officers. Davis claimed that he had purchased all of the items for his girlfriend, but allegedly failed to produce a receipt for any of them.
He also allegedly had in his possession a Chase debit card that was not in his name, according to police. Davis was arrested and charged with burglary and theft of movable property, as well as criminal attempt theft in relation to the Dec. 13 incident.
While in custody, police said, Davis confessed that he had taken the items from the vestibules of residential buildings around Hoboken.
Then in the early morning hours of Dec. 19, 25-year-old Joshua Aviles of Hoboken was spotted allegedly walking through Columbus Park with a cardboard box, according to police.
Officers Matthew Isler and Tyrone Huggins were parked nearby and said they witnessed Aviles allegedly pocket the contents of the box and throw the box in the trash can. The officers retrieved the shipping label from this box and determined that it was not Aviles’ residence “based on previous incidents with this male,” according to a police report.
When Isler and Huggins confronted Aviles on Adams Street, he allegedly threw down a black box containing two bracelets worth $71, police said. Aviles subsequently admitted to having stolen the items from a nearby residence, police said. He was arrested and charged with burglary and theft of movable property.
Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.