Monthly RPD Reports can be found here. New: August Activity Report
This is Rutherford publishes incidents that the public may find interesting or informative. The Blotter represents a small fraction of the total calls the RDP responds to regularly. The following information was provided to TIR by the Rutherford Police. All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Incidents involving juveniles will not be published.
Sunday, October 6 - Criminal Trespass, Orient Way
A 40 year old male New Milford resident driving a 2018 Mazda stated an incident took place on the Orient Way overpass to Route 3. While he was stopped at the light, he suddenly heard a tap on the passenger window and observed an unknown male. The male pulled on the door handle while saying “Paterson” repeatedly. The driver quickly hit the accelerator and drove off. The man is described as 5ft 8in, thin build, black male, light skinned, in his 40s or 50s with no facial hair, baby face and wide light colored eyes. He wore a hooded, blue-black flannel. He thinks the man was mentally challenged and “didn’t speak the Queen’s English.” Sgt Capoano observed some smudge marks on the front passenger door. It should be noted the incident location is the bus stop near the 190 bus that travels to Paterson.
Saturday, October 5 - Aid and Assist, Park Ave
At approximately 1:35 pm, a 41 year old male contacted RPD to report a friend dropped their keys in the storm drain. Officer Ritter was able to retrieve the keys using a lock out stick.
Saturday, October 5 - Criminal Mischief, Carmita Ave
A 59 year old male reports when he woke in the morning, the rear passenger side window of his 2005 Toyota had been broken. He stated the rear window was shattered and the last time he saw the car at approximately 9:00 pm the night before it had no such damage. No other vehicles appear damaged in the area.
Thursday, October 3 - Verbal Dispute, Riverside Ave
At approximately 2:46 pm, a 66 year old female caller reported a dispute with her 66 year old roommate who was intoxicated and acting aggressively. RPD reported and each party agreed to avoid each other for the rest of the day.
Thursday, October 3 - Suspicious Person, Riverside Ave
At approximately 9:23 am a 63 year old male reported a male party sleeping by the highway. Officers dispatched reported a homeless man sleeping under the Route 3 bridge. He gathered his belongings and left the area.
Wednesday, October 2 - Aid and Assist, Francisco Ave
An 80 year old female caller reported she came in contact with an elderly female who appeared confused as she asked the caller how to get to the airport. The lost woman was an 80 year old female from North Arlington. Officers responded and verified that she was from North Arlington. RPD contacted NAPD who reported she has dementia and contacted her husband who picked her up without incident.
Wednesday, October 2 - Lewdness, Riverside Ave
At approximately 10:34 am a caller reported a large black man, possibly homeless, wearing gray sweatpants masturbating in a small park near Route 3. The party reported he was not masturbating and that he had an itch in his groin. He left on his own without incident.
Tuesday, October 1 - Theft, Addison Ave
A 31 year old male reported a UPS delivery belonging to him was stolen from the lobby of his building between 1:24 pm and 5:00 pm on October 1st. The delivery was confirmed by UPS at 11:54 am. Due to the fact that he lives in an apartment building, packages are left in the front foyer which is accessible to the public. When he went to retrieve the package, he was unable to locate it and completed a stolen property list. While documenting this theft, another resident, a 30 year old male, reported to RPD that he also had a package stolen and had also received a delivery confirmation at 11:24 am. The package was not there when he went to retrieve it and a similar event happened on September 26, but he did not report it at the time. Both parties were advised to speak to the owner of the building to put in surveillance cameras or locked doors.
Tuesday, October 1 - Fraud, Woodland Ave
A 66 year old female reported fraudulent activity on her Discover card in order to document it. The woman stated that several months ago she learned her daughter’s 32 year old boyfriend had opened a Venmo account using her Discover card and used the account on 4 different occasions in June each time for $515. When she confronted the boyfriend, he told her he’d reimburse her. She opted not to report the charges as fraudulent so there was no investigation by the credit card company. He has yet to reimburse her. She has since cancelled the card and reported no other fraudulent activity.
Tuesday, October 1 - Intoxicated Person, Union Ave
At approximately 7:56 am the principal of RHS reported an intoxicated person near Fairview Ave. RPD responded and found a 58 year old male from Woodward Ave in Rutherford. The man was deemed to not be a danger to himself or others and he left the area.
Sunday, September 29 - Theft, Orient Way
A 49 year old male caller reported an unknown person stole a package off his porch and that he had surveillance video of the man walking away southbound on Orient Way. After posting still images from the camera footage on Facebook, a friend notified the caller at 7:00 am the following day believing he saw the suspect on Orient Way, walking into Lyndhurst. The caller drove to the location, observed the suspect from afar and called Lyndhurst PD but did not confront the suspect himself. The suspect was located in Lyndhurst by police who notified RDP who transported him to headquarters. The suspect also had a Bergen County warrant out on him.
Sunday, September 29 - Burglary, Hawthorne Street
At approximately 3:19 pm a 33 year old female reported her 2019 Dodge Durango had been entered and an Apple iPad stolen between 9:00 pm on September 28 and 3:15pm on September 29. An unknown party entered the vehicle and took an iPad that was located in the back of the rear seat headrest. The stated approximate value of the iPad is $300. The vehicle was parked in the driveway and unlocked.
Saturday, September 28 - Aid and Assist, Carmita Ave
At approximately 10:36 pm a 77 year old female was able to make contact with RPD stating she had fallen and couldn’t get up. Officers dispatched reported the party had slipped and fallen in her living room. Officers helped her back into her chair and she refused medical attention.
Saturday, September 28 - Narcan Administered, Chestnut Street
At approximately 4:22 pm a 36 year old female received 2 doses of Narcan. It is the 3rd time the patient was issued Narcan by RPD in a week.
Saturday, September 28 - Burglary, Vanderburgh Ave
A 26 year old female owner of a 2009 Honda Accord reported someone entered her vehicle and took her wallet and other items sometime between 8:00 pm on September 27 and 4:35 am on September 28. She stated she parked her vehicle in front of her residence. At approximately 4:35 am she received a phone call from American Express about fraudulent charges on her card. She realized she left her wallet in the car and upon inspection realized her vehicle was ransacked and her wallet was missing. She advised RPD that her vehicle automatically locks within 10 seconds of exiting, as long as the key is outside the vehicle. The was no signs of forced entry. It is possible that when she exited her vehicle she didn’t secure one of the doors which would have prevented locking. Missing were her wallet, driver’s license, social security card, $100 cash and her health insurance card. The surrounding area had no other ransacked vehicles. Later in the day she notified RPD that, according to American Express, $22.94 was spent at 7/11 in Wallington and $875.14 at Walmart fraudulently.
Saturday, September 28 - Aid and Assist, West Erie Ave
At approximately 2:17 am a 75 year old female dialed 911 and requested assistance to put her arm back in a sling so she could go back to bed. Officer Foley responded and helped.
Friday, September 27 - Verbal Dispute, Park Ave
At approximately 4:23 pm, a 37 year old female caller reported a dispute over a parking space in the private lot of an apartment complex. Officer John Ahearn responded and reported a dispute over one tenant’s vehicle being partially over the lines into another space. He told the person to park inside the lines and the tenant agreed he/she would comply.
Thursday, September 26 - Aid and Assist, Hastings Ave
At approximately 12:36 am, a 48 year old Hastings Ave resident called 911 to report a toothache. Officers were dispatched and the man refused any medical assistance but requested a drive to 7/11 to get something to alleviate the pain. Officer Fecanin transported him without incident.
Tuesday, September 24 - Suspicious Incident, Elliott Place
At approximately 6:58 pm a 42 year old resident of a 3 family home reported she’s been finding cotton balls on the ground in the backyard of her residence for several days. She believes some of the Felician students are using her yard for drug usage because cotton balls are used in drug activity such as straining impurities from cooked heroin. After a check of the area, no other evidence was located. A 2nd floor neighbor stated this was the second time she found cotton balls as well and showed them to the Officer Scott Ahearn and reported there were more cotton balls still in her garbage can. All of the cotton balls appeared to be clean, fluffy and unused. Because the yard appears to be hidden from the street, the caller is afraid of criminal activity. The residents were advised to get motion sensors on their outdoor lights.
Monday, September 23 - Theft, Jackson Ave
At approximately 4:02 pm a 42 year old female reported an unknown person took packages from her front stairs. Three packages were delivered to her residence from Amazon and she received a notification on her cell phone of delivery at 11:16 am. Surveillance camera footage shows the package being taken at 1:06 pm by a young Hispanic male with short facial hair, black sneakers, blue jeans and black t shirt. He also wore a baseball cap, had a ponytail and orange safety vest. It appeared he had been walking around carrying a black box and paper and was last seen walking northbound on Jackson Ave.
Monday, September 23 - False Reports, Rt 17
At approximately 3:02 pm RPD received multiple reports of a vehicle spinout resulting in a crash in left lane of Route 17 South. RPD reported one occupant of a 2005 Ford Escape on scene upon arrival; a 27 year old male from Newark. After an investigation, it was determined the driver had a suspended driver’s license, however he initially told RPD an elaborate story that his twin sister, who is a resident of Hackensack, was driving the vehicle and her abusive husband was following them, rammed their car, causing the vehicle to go off the road. He also alleged the abusive husband carries a firearm and kidnapped the sister. After a thorough investigation, this story was proven false and the Newark man admitted it was made up. Ultimately, the man was charged with two criminal complaints: false reports and hindering apprehension, a summons for driving carelessly and a suspended license.
Monday, September 23 - Suspicious Incident, Yahara Ave
A 46 year old female resident reported she received harassing emails and texts from a person she met via the dating app Tinder. She had been communicating with a man she believed to be retired U.S. Army general Andrew Martin on Tinder since March 2019. She was told he had been serving in Afghanistan, but that he had retired from the military and was returning to the U.S. The resident stated she received an email from an address different than the one she had been using to communicate with Martin from a person claiming to be “Flash Boris” an employee at the United Nations claiming that retired General Andrew Martin had been kidnapped while returning to the U.S. He stated the Rutherford resident needed to send $1,000 in “Steam Wallet Cards” as per the kidnappers’ instructions to insure the safety of the retired general. The resident also reported she received a picture of a wound with stitches from the supposed United Nations employee. They informed her she needed to send money so General Martin would not be harmed any further. She found the messages threatening because it stated her family was in danger if she did not comply. RPD advised her this was a scam and to not send any money. She stated she had not provided them with anything or any personal information but believed General Martin may know her home address because she hoped to meet him in person. She was advised to monitor her bank info and block anyone attempting to get money. She was satisfied with the assistance she received.
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