Police Blotter: Bungled Burglaries And A Whole Bunch Of Arrests

     On Friday night, August 27 at about 10:45 p.m., police responded to a single family home on Seneca Place on a report of a burglary, with the suspects still inside the house. The caller said she was checking on a relative's house while he was away when she noticed a light on in the basement. After looking through a basement window, she observed a man watching television.

     Police used a key provided by the caller to gain entry to the home. They found two men sitting on a couch in the basement, watching TV and drinking alcohol. When asked what they were doing in the house, they stated, "Nothing."

     Sunjay Marathe, 18, of Upper Montclair, and Peter Van Leer, 18, of Upper Montclair, were handcuffed and escorted from the home. Marathe was found to be carrying Vicodin, for which he did not have a valid prescription. A check of the basement revealed several empty wine bottles and cups containing alcoholic beverages.

     Upon searching the home, police found an opened window on a sun porch. In front of this window was a table that had foot prints on it matching the shoes of those found in the basement that Van Leer claimed was his. Both Marathe and Van Leer were charged with burglary, theft, criminal mischief, and underage consumption of an alcoholic beverage. In addition, Marathe was charged with unlawful possession of prescription narcotics. Bail was set for both at $7,500.

Also on the latest police blotter:

Vandalism

             On Monday, August 30 at about 3:10 p.m., police responded to a single family home on Stonebridge Avenue on a report of vandalism. The complainant directed police to a window pane in the front of his house that appeared to have been shot by a BB gun. The complainant is unsure when the damage occurred. There are no suspects at this time.

Theft

            Also on Monday at about 3:45 p.m., police were sent to a Valley Road apartment on a report of a theft. The caller said that his bike had been stolen from the building's first floor common hallway sometime between 9:30 p.m. on August 25 and 7:00 a.m. on August 27. The bike is described as a red Pacific Mountain Bike valued at approximately $110. There are no suspects at this time.

Burglary Attempt

            Later on Monday, at about 8:50 p.m., police responded to a single family home on Clarewill Avenue on a report of a burglary alarm. Upon arrival, police located an opened front window. Police searched the inside of the home and found no one inside. The home owner reports that nothing inside the house was missing or appeared to have been disturbed. It appeared that the window was not secured prior to the incident. There are no suspects at this time.

Arrest

            On Friday, August 27 at about 12:25 a.m., police stopped Kenneth Barno, 47, of East Orange in the area of Union Street and South Willow Street after observing him riding a bicycle in the area, due to the number of reports of burglaries and bicycles stolen from garages during the early morning hours. Further investigation revealed that Barno was carrying a pair of wire cutters. Barno was placed under arrest and charged with possession of burglary tools. He was also charged with obstruction after initially failing to provide the police with his actual name. Bail for these charges was set at $5,000. In addition, Barno was found to have a warrant out of Bloomfield, with bail set at $1,000, and West Orange, with bail set at $839.

Burglary Attempt and Arrest

            On Friday, August 27 at about 3:15 p.m., police were sent to a single family home on Graham Terrace on a report of a suspicious man attempting to gain entry by trying the door knob. While en route, police were advised that the man was no longer on Graham Terrace and was seen walking north on Harrison Avenue.

            The complainant says that she was in her kitchen when she saw the man walk up the driveway and attempt to open the main door to her neighbor's house. The man then walked away after he was seemingly startled by someone walking by.

            Police detained a man, later identified as Cedric Brown, 27, of Montclair, in the area of Harrison Avenue and North Brookwood Drive, as he fit the given description. Brown was arretsed after he was positively identified as the person who was observed on Graham Terrace. Brown was charged with criminal attempt (burglary) and later additionally charged with obstruction after he refused to be fingerprinted and photographed after his arrest. Bail is set at $15,000.

Theft from a Car

            On Friday, August 27 at about 3:30 p.m., police received a report from a resident of a single family home on Lloyd Road regarding someone entering her car. The victim said that someone had entered her Mercedes sometime on August 27 between midnight and 8:00 a.m. The victim said that someone had rummaged through the car's glove box and console, but is unsure if anything was missing from the car. The car had been left unlocked prior to the incident. There are no suspects at this time.

Arrest

     On Friday, August 27 at about 10:15 p.m., police received a report of an unruly person at the Saint Sebastian Festival. According to several vendors, the man was instigating a fight while pushing and arguing with people there. Police located a man fitting the given description in the area of Christopher Street and Walnut Street. Police observed him standing in a crowd and it appeared that a fight was going to start. Upon seeing police, the man ran away, but was apprehended in the area of Claremont Avenue and Grove Street. Gabriel Herman, 20, of Verona, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. He was later released.

Vandalism to a Car

       On Saturday, August 28 at about 11:10 a.m., police were sent to South Fullerton Avenue on a report of vandalism to a car. The complainant stated that he parked a Toyota Celica in the lot to his apartment complex on August 27 at about 7:30 p.m. When he returned to the car the next morning at about 11:00 a.m., he discovered a long deep scrape that extended from the front end to the rear quarter panel on both the driver's and passenger's sides of the car. In addition, "FU" was marked into the car on the passenger's side rear top quarter panel. There are no suspects at this time.

Vandalism

     On Saturday, August 28 at about 2:00 p.m., police responded to Walnut Street on a report of vandalism. The complainant directed police to an alley where two electric meters and a garbage can were vandalized. The damage consisted of black spray paint that was mostly illegible, but it appeared that "EUROKID" had been painted on one of the meters. The damage is believed to have occurred sometime between 11:00 p.m. on August 27 and 2:00 p.m. on August 28. There are no suspects at this time.

Burglary

     On Sunday, August 29 at about 12:45 a.m., police were sent to Mesob Restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue on a report of a burglary to an office. The complainant stated that she left her basement office on August 28 at about 7:30 p.m. When she returned about five hours later, she discovered that a wooden file cabinet under her desk had been pried open and the drawer was left ajar. She also noticed that two large frames that block a door behind her desk had been moved. She added that the door had been locked prior to the incident. The complainant said that nothing of value was taken from the file cabinet. There are no suspects at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Terence Turner at 973-509-4724.

Robbery

      On Sunday, August 29 at about 3:35 a.m., police responded to the Shell gas station on Bloomfield Avenue on a report of a robbery. The victim, a Montclair resident, reported that he had walked out of the Shell and was at the nearby pay phone when he was approached by five black males. According to the victim, a man later identified as Shaun Brown, 18, of Montclair, asked him for a cigarette. After the victim provided Brown with a cigarette, an unidentified man in the group said to the victim, "Let me have a dollar." The victim told the man that he did not have a dollar. The man then leaned in closer to the victim and, in a menacing fashion, again demanded a dollar. The victim repeated that he did not have a dollar to give him. The man proceeded to grab the victim by the shirt and push him against a fence. The suspect then reached into the victim's pants pocket, took a set of keys, and ran west on Bloomfield Avenue and north through the lot for the Mount Carmel Holy Church.

     The fleeing suspect is described as a black man, approximately 5'9", 20-25 years old, weighing approximately 150 lbs, with shoulder-length dreadlocks. The suspect was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans.

     Police interviewed the remainder of the group that had approached the victim. Included in this group was a sixteen year old Montclair male, the previously mentioned Shaun Brown, Brandon Ramsammy, 18, of Montclair, and Dominique Mungia, 18, of Orange. All were uncooperative and denied knowing the man that had attacked the victim. The four were placed under arrest and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and hindering apprehension. Bail for the adults was set at $10,000. The juvenile was transported to the Essex County Youth House.

     Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Joseph Anderson at 973-509-4706.