Everything but the kitchen sink
A Hoboken man allegedly threw knives and other kitchen utensils from his third floor window at the bouncer of a bar across the street and other passing pedestrians this past weekend, according to a report provided by the Hoboken Police Department.
After gaining entry to his apartment through a fire escape, police arrested Christian Hoffman, 32, and charged him with aggravated assault and several other charges, police said.
At around 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 18, police responded to a report of a man allegedly throwing knives, can openers, and other kitchen utensils from the window on the 900 block of Park Avenue at the bouncer of a nearby bar and other passers by. According to a report, the man was allegedly screaming, “I’m going to kill you!” at his targets.
After taking a statement from the bouncer, Police Officer Marco Grossman and Sgt. Saverio Binetti knocked on the door of the apartment but received no response, according to the report. Forty minutes later, they returned with two additional officers and again received no response, police said.
However, Officer Grossman observed a pair of bare feet through the crack underneath the door, according to the report. Police were ultimately able to gain access to the apartment through the neighbor’s fire escape, and the occupant, Christian Hoffman, was identified by the bouncer as the alleged assailant, police said.
In the apartment, the report said, Police Officer William Bullock observed a glass pipe and grinder, allegedly used for the consumption of crack cocaine, on a bed in plain view. Hoffman was charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to police.
Trying to take the bus
A Pennsylvania man was allegedly caught trying to steal a double decker sightseeing bus from a northern Hoboken parking lot on April 12, according to a report provided by the Hoboken Police Department. Charles Brown, 51, of Old Forge, Pa. allegedly told police he planned to pick up passengers and pocket the fares, the report said.
According to an account given by the lot’s security guard, Brown allegedly entered the lot at Sixteenth and Adams streets on foot at around 6:30 p.m., stating that he “would be calling dispatch to tell them which bus he was taking.” The guard said Brown was allegedly wearing a vest similar to that of a driver.
According to police, after Brown allegedly left the lot and quickly returned, the guard became suspicious and sought his whereabouts. She allegedly found Brown in the driver’s seat of an idling Gray Line bus, and said Brown fled after being asked for identification, police said.
Brown was stopped by Sgt. Ranaldo Gonzalez nearby and allegedly admitted to walking into the lot and entering a bus in order to search for valuables and subsequently drive around looking for fares, according to the report.
According to police, a search of Brown’s person allegedly uncovered four plastic vials containing suspected cocaine, narcotic paraphernalia, and a screwdriver and pliers “commonly used as burglary tools.”
Brown was charged with burglary, theft, impersonation, possession of burglary tools, possession of cocaine, possession of narcotic paraphernalia, and failure to appear for warrants from Bergen and Essex Counties and Irvington, according to the report. He was remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in default of $50,000 bail.
Brown’s alleged misadventure was neither the first nor the most successful instance of a bus burglary in Hoboken. In 2010, Darius McCollum nicked a New York Trailways bus from a Hoboken lot and drove a group of flight attendants from a Manhattan hotel to John F. Kennedy Airport before being stopped on a Queens highway, according to a New York Daily News report.
A question remains: How did Brown get to Hoboken?
Lurching through the lockdown
The closure of at least six Hoboken city blocks by police in response to an alleged bomb threat on the night of April 11 did more than ensure added security to residents; it revealed an alleged drunk driver when she allegedly ignored a roadblock and swerved onto the sidewalk, according to a report provided by the Hoboken Police Department.
Philadelphia resident Kathleen Gattuso, 26, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and failure to comply with directions of a police officer, according to the report.
At around 1:40 a.m. on April 12, Police Officer Luke Zeszortarski observed a black Honda Civic with Pennsylvania plates driven by Gattuso allegedly circumvent a marked radio car blocking traffic and continue down a closed road, according to police.
The car allegedly cut through a gas station at the intersection of Newark Street and Observer Highway, at which point Zeszortarski motioned to Gattuso to stop her vehicle, police said.
According to police, Gattuso allegedly ignored the commands and continued driving, eventually going over a curb and back onto the sidewalk before finally stopping.
Upon approaching the vehicle, officers allegedly detected the odor of alcoholic beverages and noted that Gattuso had watery, bloodshot eyes, according to police. She allegedly failed an on-site field sobriety test administered by Police Officer Marco Grossman and was arrested, according to the report.
Taken to Hoboken Police Headquarters for processing, Gattuso submitted to a breath test, which allegedly recorded a blood alcohol level of .19 percent, almost three times the legal limit, according to police.