Christopher Street Hit Again; Crimes This Week Also Include Theft Attempt At Raymond's

      Christopher Street suffered yet another criminal incident this week. On Saturday, August 7 at about 7:40 a.m., police were dispatched to a single family residence on Christopher Street on follow up on a burglary report. The victims believe that someone had entered their residence between 1:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. on August 7 through an unlocked rear door on the western side of the home. A Mac Powerbook laptop valued at $2,500 and a Dell laptop valued at $2,500 were stolen from the first-floor living room.

       A neighbor reported that her dog began barking around 4 a.m., but did not see anyone in the area. There are no suspects at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Terence Turner at 973-509-4724.

        A week earlier, police were sent to Christopher Street when an 18-year-old Montclair resident reported being approached by a suspicious man. And police responded to a report of a theft from a car on Christopher Street on July 19.

        Also this past week, the Montclair Police Department responded to Raymond's on Church Street on Friday, August 6 at 3:35 p.m. on a report of a theft. According to employees, a male was observed standing in the rear of the restaurant and appeared to have something tucked in his waistband near the small of his back. The item appeared large and square in shape. The employees checked the restaurant's bathroom and found that a framed picture was missing.

        As the employees were checking the bathroom, the male fled the store, but was located by employees in the Crescent Parking Deck. The male returned the framed picture to the employee and fled east on South Fullerton Street.

        The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 6'0", 28-35 years old, with a short scruffy beard and a tattoo on his right calf. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and tan or gray pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Lynn McCarthy at 973-509-4725.

       Also on this week's Police Blotter just in from Lt. Scott Buehler at the Montclair Police Department:

       Burglary

       On Friday, August 6 at approximately 10:50 a.m., police were dispatched to a single family residence on Cloverhill Place residence on a report a burglary to a garage. The complainant stated that her son's bicycle was stolen sometime between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on August 5 from the property's garage. The doors to the garage had been left unsecured prior to the theft. The bicycle is described as a child's orange-colored BMX with black trim, valued at $70. There are no suspects at this time.

        Vandalism to a Motor Vehicle

        On Friday, August 6, police were dispatched to take a report of a vandalism to a car that had occurred in the area of Parkside and Princeton Place. The complainant stated that he parked his Mercedes Benz E 320 in the area on August 6 at approximately 8:00 a.m. When he returned to the car approximately 10 hours later, he discovered that the rear passenger's side window was cracked. There are no suspects at this time.

         Theft

         On Friday, August 6 at approximately 7:30 p.m., police were dispatched to Gag's Caribbean Restaurant on a report of a theft that had occurred five minutes prior. An employee stated that she was in the restaurant's kitchen when she heard the front door to the establishment close. When she went to the front of the restaurant, she noticed that the tip jar on the counter was missing. The tip jar contained approximately $30.

           A witness in the area described a possible suspect as a black male, 18-19 years old, thin build, and approximately 5'10". He was last seen wearing a gray or white tank top and gray or green long pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ray Gulbin at 973-509-4739.

        Driving While Intoxicated

        On Saturday, August 7 at approximately 2:45 a.m., police were on North Willow Avenue in the area of Glenridge Avenue when they observed a female in a Jaguar driving while talking on a cell phone. The Jaguar was also weaving and nearly struck a curb.

            Upon stopping the vehicle and speaking to the driver, police noticed that the strong smell of an alcoholic beverage was coming from her breath and that her eyes were watery. Wanda Black, 47, of Montclair, was placed under arrest when she failed to adequately perform field sobriety tests.

            Black was issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to a breathalyzer, careless driving, failure to exhibit a valid driver's license, failure to exhibit a valid registration card, failure to exhibit a valid insurance card, prohibited use of a cellular phone in a moving motor vehicle, and driving while suspended. In addition, Black was found to have warrants out of Irvington totaling $457 and Newark totaling $894.

         Theft from a Motor Vehicle

         On Saturday, August 7 at approximately 11:15 a.m., police responded to High Street on a report of a theft from a car. The complainant stated that he parked his Toyota Camry in the property's rear lot on August 4 at approximately 11 p.m. When he returned to the car the following morning at approximately 6:30 a.m., he discovered that the driver's side lock had been pulled out and an Alpine car stereo valued at $100 had been stolen from the dashboard. In addition, a bankbook was missing from the vehicle. There are no suspects at this time.

         Vandalism

          On Sunday, August 8 at approximately 2 p.m., police responded to multi-family residence on Bay Street on a report of graffiti in an alley. Upon arrival, police were directed to an alley on the north side of the building. The words "BLOOD DEATH JAM" were spray painted in red approximately five feet off the ground. The vandalism is believed to have occurred sometime between July 1 and August 8.

         Theft from a Motor Vehicle

          On Sunday, August 8 at approximately 11:20 p.m., police responded to Mission Street on a report of a theft from a car. The victim stated that sometime between 10:30 p.m. and 10:35 p.m., a suspect had shattered the front driver's side window to his Nissan Pathfinder. The victim was informed by a neighbor that he observed a possibly brown colored two door vehicle pull up to the vandalized vehicle. He said that a dark-skinned black male, approximately 5'9" and wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants exited the suspect vehicle and broke the window to the Pathfinder. The suspect vehicle then traveled north on Mission Street towards Bloomfield Avenue.

            The victim reported that a Navigon GPS valued at $150 was stolen from the car. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Joseph Anderson at 973-509-4706.

           Burglary Attempt

           On Monday, August 9 at approximately 3:55 a.m., police responded to a multi-family residence on Lexington Avenue on a report of an attempted burglary. The complainant stated that at approximately 3:50 a.m., she was awakened by her neighbor, who stated that she had observed a tall black male attempting to enter the complainant's apartment through a bathroom window. According to the witness, the suspect took a plastic chair from the porch of a nearby residence and placed it directly underneath the complainant's window. The suspect then stood on the chair for a couple of minutes, but was apparently frightened off when the witness exited her vehicle to get a closer look at the suspect. The suspect then fled through the rear yards of Lexington Avenue.

            Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Charles Cunningham at 973-509-4716.

          Theft from a Motor Vehicle

          On Monday, August 9 at approximately 8:50 p.m., police responded to the Fairfield Parking Deck on a report of a theft from a car. The victim stated that he parked his car in the lot on that date at approximately 7:30 p.m. When he returned to the car approximately an hour later, he discovered that his wallet, which he had left in the vehicle, was on the floor of his Volvo. The victim stated that $250 was taken from the wallet. Entry to the car was apparently gained through an unlocked door. There are no suspects at this time.

          Shoplifting

          On Monday, August 9 at approximately 6:45 p.m., police responded to Urban Outfitters on South Park Street on a report of a shoplifting. Employees at the store stated that a female, later identified as Kelsi Ruffalo, 19, of Montclair, attempted to exit the store while concealing two shirts worth a total of $91. Upon exiting the store, the electronic door alarm was activated and employees stopped Ruffalo. Ruffalo had concealed one shirt in her purse while concealing the other in a plastic bag. Ruffalo was placed under arrest, charged with shoplifting, and later released.

         Burglary Arrest

         On Tuesday, August 10 at approximately 3:15 a.m., police on Enfield Avenue observed a male carrying a briefcase and a plastic bag running westbound. Upon speaking to the male, police were told that by the male that he was returning to his residence on Enfield Avenue. The male continued walking north on Enfield Avenue before turning west onto Virginia Avenue. As police exited their vehicle, the male began running south through the rear yards on Enfield Avenue. Police were directed towards the dead end of Enfield Avenue by a resident who saw the suspect run in that direction. Officers then observed the male running west through a yard on Virginia Avenue onto High Street. He was taken into custody by officers on High Street. At the time of his arrest, the male, later identified as Franklin Crenshaw, 45, of Newark, was not in possession of the briefcase or plastic bag that he had been seen with earlier. The items were later found in a trash can in a rear yard on Enfield Avenue.

            Upon later inspecting the contents of the briefcase, police were able to identify the owner. Police contacted the owner, who resided on Enfield Avenue. Police responded to the owner's residence and discovered that the front passenger's side window to a Hyundai Sonata parked in the owner's driveway was smashed. Police then spoke to the owner, who confirmed that the recovered briefcase had been stolen from the Sonata.

            Crenshaw was also found to be in possession of a knife, a glass pipe commonly used to smoke controlled dangerous substances, and a pair of screwdrivers. He was charged with burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, possession of a weapon, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $15,000.