EMERSON—From Facebook Marketplace fraud to a midnight DWI at the municipal complex, Emerson police have kept busy this summer. Officers handled cases involving fake insurance cards, roadside deceptions, fights in progress, and even a box-cutter chase at a gas station. Here’s a look at the latest arrests and investigations that kept patrols on their toes in August and September.
The following arrest summaries were provided by Chief Mark F. Savino of the Emerson Police Department. A charge is not a conviction. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges can be amended or dismissed.
Aug. 1 | 2:01 p.m. | Arrest – Counterfeiting (Forest Avenue)
A motor-vehicle stop on Forest Avenue led Officer J. Chichizola to discover that the driver had presented fictitious proof of insurance.
The 23-year-old man from Elizabeth was arrested and charged on a complaint summons for exhibiting a fraudulent motor-vehicle insurance card, a fourth-degree offense. He was released on his own recognizance pending court dates in the Central Judicial Processing (CJP) Court in Hackensack.
Aug. 4 | 4:43 p.m. | Arrest – Obstructing Administration of Law (Lincoln Boulevard)
During a roadside investigation on Lincoln Boulevard, Officer C. Murphy determined that a driver was operating a vehicle while his license was suspended and with license plates registered to another vehicle. When questioned, the man also provided a false name.
The 32-year-old from Bridgeton was arrested and charged with obstructing administration of law, issued several motor-vehicle summonses, and released on his own recognizance pending appearances in both Hackensack and Emerson courts.
Aug. 6 | 11:23 a.m. | Arrest – Warrants (Old Hook Road)
A routine motor-vehicle stop by Officer J. Schwarz revealed a 44-year-old woman from Lincoln Park wanted on an active NCIC warrant for fraud. Field-sobriety testing also showed she had been driving under the influence of alcohol.
She was arrested, transported to police headquarters, issued multiple motor-vehicle summonses, and ultimately turned over to Lincoln Park police.
Aug. 8 | 12:18 a.m. | Arrest – DWI (Municipal Place)
Officer C. Murphy, on motor patrol near the municipal complex, noticed a parked vehicle with the operator slumped over the wheel, apparently asleep. After field-sobriety tests, it was determined that the 22-year-old Emerson man was driving under the influence of alcohol.
He was arrested, brought to headquarters, and charged with DWI. He was released with a mandatory court date in Emerson Municipal Court.
Aug. 11 | 9:20 a.m. | Arrest – Warrants (Forest Avenue)
Information relayed to Officer T. Solimando led to the location of a man wanted by Paramus police on a lewdness warrant. The 49-year-old, from Kansas City, Mo., was spotted walking near Forest Avenue and Soldier Hill Road. He was detained, secured, and turned over to Paramus authorities.
Aug. 13 | 11:15 a.m. | Arrest – Theft by Deception and Criminal Simulation (Park Avenue)
An Emerson resident reported last year that a used vehicle purchased on Facebook Marketplace had been stolen from their driveway, even though they still held both key fobs.
After a lengthy investigation, Det. Sgt. D. Kearns identified a 40-year-old Romanian national living in Federal Way, Wash., as the suspect. He was charged on a complaint warrant with theft by deception, criminal simulation, and unlawful possession of a motor vehicle.
Aug. 15 | 3:33 p.m. | Arrest – DWI (High Street)
While monitoring traffic, Officer T. Solimando stopped a vehicle for speeding on High Street. The 54-year-old Hillsdale driver failed sobriety tests and was placed under arrest.
At headquarters, he provided two breath samples registering .13 percent BAC. He was charged with DWI, issued several traffic citations, and given a court date in Emerson Municipal Court.
Aug. 19 | 7:22 p.m. | Arrest – Simple Assault (Kinderkamack Road)
Police were called to Kinderkamack Road and Locust Avenue for a fight in progress. Officers C. Merkle and C. Murphy found an 18-year-old Washington Township man with a chin abrasion and learned that he and friends had pulled over to confront a male pedestrian, later identified as a juvenile.
The argument escalated into a physical fight, leaving the juvenile with cuts to his hand and knee. With Det. Sgt. D. Kearns assisting, police determined the 18-year-old to be the primary aggressor. He was arrested, charged with simple assault, and released pending court.
Aug. 23 | 10:09 a.m. | Arrest – Aggravated Assault (Kinderkamack Road)
Officers J. Chichizola and T. Solimando took a report from a man who said he was chased with a knife at a local gas station. The complainant told police that while smoking in the rear lot, he was confronted by a man who brandished a knife and pursued him as he tried to get away.
Investigators, including Det. Sgt. Kearns, learned that the suspect attempted to stab the victim with a box cutter as the victim retreated into a vehicle, striking the car window instead.
A 40-year-old Emerson man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon, certain persons not to have weapons, and criminal mischief. He was remanded to the Bergen County Correctional and Rehabilitation Center pending a CJP hearing.
Aug. 31 | 12:06 p.m. | Arrest – Warrants (Forest Avenue)
During a traffic stop, Officer J. Chichizola discovered that a 27-year-old Hackensack woman had two active warrants — $1,000 out of Hackensack Municipal Court and $500 out of Garfield. She was released on her own recognizance after receiving new court dates from both jurisdictions.
Sept. 3 | 6:41 a.m. | Arrest – DWI (Dyer Avenue)
While searching for a reported missing person, Officers J. Schwarz and J. Chichizola found the man operating his vehicle on Dyer Avenue. The 38-year-old Emerson resident showed signs of intoxication and failed sobriety tests.
He was arrested, provided two breath samples showing .18 percent BAC, and was charged with DWI pending municipal court.
Sept. 12 | 8:08 p.m. | Arrest – Shoplifting and Receiving Stolen Property (Kinderkamack Road)
A vehicle with a fraudulent temporary registration caught Officer J. Chichizola’s attention on Kinderkamack Road. During the stop, the driver — a 33-year-old man from Newark — consented to a search that turned up multiple bags of merchandise still bearing Marshalls price tags.
Further investigation revealed that his passenger, a 30-year-old Newark woman, had been captured on Marshalls’ surveillance video shoplifting those same items.
She was later charged by mail with shoplifting and receiving stolen property and given court dates in Hackensack and Emerson.
Sept. 12 | Arrest – Receiving Stolen Property (Kinderkamack Road)
In a separate case, Det. T. McDermott investigated a local business’s fraud complaint involving a stolen purchase made with a fraudulent credit card. The investigation traced the stolen merchandise to a 67-year-old Little Ferry man who had obtained it through a Facebook Marketplace transaction.
He was charged with receiving stolen property, a third-degree offense, pending CJP court.
Sept. 16 | 10:12 a.m. | Arrest – Forgery (Ross Avenue)
A resident told Det. McDermott that a $2,000 check mailed to a creditor had never arrived. The investigation revealed that the check had been intercepted and an attempt made to deposit it via mobile banking.
A 27-year-old woman from the Bronx was charged on a complaint summons with forgery, a third-degree offense, pending CJP court.
Sept. 18 | 10:33 p.m. | Arrest – Warrants and Possession of CDS (Hartland Avenue)
Officers J. Chichizola and J. Schwarz, observing what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction outside a local convenience store, conducted a motor-vehicle stop.
The suspected driver, a 36-year-old man from Paterson, fled the scene but was identified. An 18-year-old male from Woodcliff Lake admitted that the driver had been dealing controlled dangerous substances, including Promethazine.
A 28-year-old Paterson passenger had three active warrants totaling $2,250.
A K-9 search of the vehicle yielded suspected oxycodone, Alprazolam, Promethazine, and two pairs of metal knuckles.
The main suspect was charged with multiple drug and weapons offenses and remanded to the Bergen County Correctional and Rehabilitation Center. The co-defendants were charged or turned over to other jurisdictions on their outstanding warrants.
Sept. 22 | 3:22 p.m. | Arrest – DWI (Van Wagoner Avenue)
Officers J. Schwarz and J. Dmirtuk responded to a collision involving a parked vehicle on Van Wagoner Avenue. The driver, a 71-year-old Emerson man, displayed signs of intoxication and was unable to complete field-sobriety tests.
He was arrested, taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation, and charged with DWI pending municipal court.
Reminder: A charge is not a conviction. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges may be amended or dismissed.