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BY TOM CLANCEY
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
Englewood, New Jersey — In a harrowing account of a St. Patrick’s Day traffic stop on Decatur Avenue, a senior Englewood law enforcement officer recently described to Northern Valley Press how Officer Maciej Mlynaryk wrestled with a suspect over a loaded 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol as the driver sped away—dragging the officer with him.
Mlynaryk, who joined the Englewood Police Department in March 2015, struggled with the suspect—26-year-old Cade Cordwell of Schenectady, N.Y.—as the vehicle sped down the street with the officer protruding from the driver’s side window, said Englewood Police Capt. Timothy Torell.
“During the struggle, Mlynaryk was able to turn the ignition off, causing the car to slow and veer off into the curb,” said Torell, adding that Mlynaryk sustained a leg injury and was assisted by backup officer Sgt. Kenneth Londahl-Smidt.
“The suspect continued to reach for his gun, fight with the officers and attempt to restart the car. Eventually, Cordwell was handcuffed and the loaded 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol he had been reaching for was recovered, in addition to a bag of marijuana.”
The incident first began when Mlynaryk and Officer Anthony Gallo stopped a rental car with New York plates at 5 p.m. for a traffic offense, said Torell.
“The officers immediately detected the odor of marijuana in the vehicle. The driver, later identified as 29-year-old Jahnoi Aarons of Troy, N.Y., ran from the vehicle with Gallo in foot pursuit, leaving Officer Mlynaryk alone with the front seat passenger, [Cordwell].
“Cordwell then jumped into the driver’s seat, began reaching for a gun he had in his pocket and began to drive away as Mlynaryk tried to subdue him,” said Torell.
Aarons, who fled on foot, was eventually apprehended and found to be in possession of one-third of a kilogram of “high-purity cocaine,” said Torell.
Both suspects face significant criminal charges, which have been referred to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, said Torell.
Cordwell is charged with: second degree aggravated assault on a police officer; second degree possession of a firearm with the intent to use it against a police officer; second degree fleeing and eluding; second degree illegal possession of a firearm; second degree illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; fourth degree possession of a defaced firearm; third degree criminal restraint; two counts of third degree resisting arrest by force; disorderly persons possession of marijuana under 50 grams and disorderly persons refusal to submit to fingerprints and an arrest photograph. Cordwell is being held in Bergen County Jail, and has not been granted bond, according to sheriff’s department records.
Aarons is charged with: first degree possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and second degree possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public park, said Torell. Sheriff department records state that Aarons was also charged with four weapons crimes. Aarons was incarcerated at Bergen County Jail, where sheriff’s department records show he is being held without bail.
Photos courtesy Englewood Police Department