Published on October 08, 2018
Nutley Police Director Alphonse Petracco and Chief Thomas Strumolo are advising Township residents that we are experiencing burglaries to unlocked motor vehicles again and have arrested eight men in the past two and half weeks.
Saturday just before midnight four young men were observed in the driveway of a Highfield Lane Resident and fled when approached. The four led police to Oakridge Ave, where three were apprehended running through yards along Ackerman, Race and Woodland. Three Juveniles from Newark were charged with Burglary to Autos and one additionally charged with possession of CDS. Surveillance video obtained on North Road show the same actors trying door handles and fleeing when police cars approach.
Late last Night also close to midnight Police experienced a replay of Saturday when four men were observed in the driveway of a Union Ave resident whose car had been ransacked. When approached the four fled. Two Newark juveniles were quickly apprehended hiding under a trampoline, and were charged with Burglary to Auto and Obstruction.
Director Petracco commended the residents and police who worked together to apprehend these delinquents. He added typically we receive calls first thing in the morning reporting their vehicles had been entered, however two nights in a row and September 20th a vigilant resident called police enabling them to set up a perimeter and capture most of these actors. Including three Irvington men 19 y/o Jahson Lawson, 21 y/o Taj Martino and 18 y/o Jermaine Moody all charged with similar offenses along Bloomfield Ave, Van Winkle and Mt. Vernon.
Chief Thomas Strumolo said one of our officers suffered a leg injury giving chase in the dark, and was released from the hospital. He added these offenders come to Nutley for the easy access to vehicles that are left unlocked. Some vehicles that are entered report nothing missing yet, others suffer expensive losses. It is the potential “score” they stand to make that continues to entice these criminals into coming to Nutley.
We urge everyone to help combat this by securing their vehicles and reporting suspicious activity immediately. Chief Strumolo said many residents now maintain surveillance systems, however often the cameras are installed in areas that do not provide the most coverage. Be mindful of lighting, and coverage corners that can identify direction of flight, vehicle involvement, and possibly lower angles to capture faces. Anyone that may have information are asked to contact Nutley Police at 973-284-4940.
Nutley Police are releasing this information for public awareness, all mentioned remain innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The fact that someone is arrested and charged does not necessarily mean they have committed the crime.
