April 2023

Montclair Police Department
Police Blotter: March 28, 2023 – April 4, 2023

Suspicious Incident

March 30, 2023 (South Mountain Avenue): The resident reported that his home surveillance system detected motion on his property at approximately 3:15 AM. After viewing the footage, an unknown person is seen circling the resident’s property trying multiple doors before he is seen walking west on Hoburg Place out of sight. The suspect was never able to gain entry into the residence. He was described as a light skin black or Hispanic male, wearing a light-colored full zip Nike hooded sweatshirt, dark colored Nike sweat pants, and a face mask.

Theft

April 2, 2023 (Warman Street): The resident reported that she placed a set of golf clubs outside of her residence at 2:30 PM. When she returned to retrieve them at 4:30 PM she discovered that they were no longer there. The custom clubs and bag were valued at approximately $2500.

April 3, 2023 (Bloomfield Avenue): The manager at Ani Ramen reported that two customers were seated at the restaurant and after becoming seemingly upset at the menu, requested to see the manager. As the manager was approaching the table, he observed the patrons exiting with a large bag of take-out items. The were followed onto Church Street before they entered a mid-size grey SUV. They were last seen traveling west on Church Street. They were described as a male and female. The male was described as a tall Hispanic male in his 30's or 40's wearing a gray jacket and gray baseball hat. The female was described as a white female in her 30’s or 40’s with blond hair wearing a white jacket and a blue or gray knitted hat.

Motor Vehicle Crime

April 2, 2023 (Bloomfield Avenue): The complainant reported that his black Chevy Malibu was stolen from a parking space in Glenmont Square. The complainant had been dining at Panera Bread and when he exited, he discovered his car was missing. Responding officers located the vehicle in the rear of Glenmont Square, unoccupied. It appeared the vehicle had mounted the curb and the suspects immediately fled.

Assault

April 3, 2023 (Bloomfield Avenue): The victim reported that she was exiting her friend’s apartment when she noticed a group of men dragging another man down the stairs. She reported that when the men noticed that the victim was observing them, they approached her, struck her in her face, and pushed her out into the street. The suspects reportedly fled in a truck (no further description) eastbound on Bloomfield Avenue. The female victim was transported to Mountainside Hospital for evaluation. Responding officers were unable to locate the male victim.

Attempted Burglary

April 3, 2023 (Upper Mountain Avenue): The complainant reported that he heard voices outside of his residence at approximately 10:00 PM followed by a loud bang as if someone was attempting to break into his home. The noise came from the backdoor area of his residence. When the resident went to investigate, he observed two males on his property. They were described as white males, approximately 5'7” in height, wearing ski masks and light-colored sneakers. The males had ripped off the window seal from the resident’s back window. Upon noticing the victim watching them, the males fled the scene on foot, south on Upper Mountain Avenue. The victim also noticed that the suspects attempted to remove the tarp off of a covered Corvette.

Montclair Police Department

Police Blotter: April 4, 2023 – April 11, 2023

Burglary

April 6, 2023 (Warren Place): Officers responded to an activated home security alarm at a Warren Place residence. One of the patio doors located on the west side of the residence was found to be unlocked and open. All other exterior doors to the residence were closed and locked.
Officers spoke with the homeowner who stated that he observed a suspect via video surveillance camera walking on his property toward the patio door that was opened. The suspect was described as a Black male, wearing black shoes, black pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, black face mask, and red/gray gloves. There are no known proceeds or items taken from the property.

April 8, 2023 (Elm Street): The resident reported that upon returning to his apartment, he discovered the front door was ajar. Upon checking the interior, he discovered approximately $400 missing from his bedroom closet. A Gameboy system and some clothing items were missing as well. There was no description of a suspect provided.

April 10, 2023 (Bloomfield Avenue): The manager at Dunkin Donuts reported that he arrived for work in the morning and discovered the cash drawer from the register had been stolen. Surveillance video shows a suspect walking into the building from the rear entry at 3:35 AM and is seen leaving at 3:52 AM carrying a cardboard box. The suspect is wearing all dark clothing and a hooded sweatshirt. The cash register contained approximately $150.00.

Assault

April 8, 2023 (Bloomfield Avenue): An employee of Black and White Taxi reported that he picked up a fare on Clifton Avenue in Newark and was dropping off on Maple Avenue in Montclair. Upon arrival in Montclair, the passengers did not have enough money and an argument ensued. The driver reported that he was struck in the face by one of the passengers. The passengers were described as a black male, short hair with twists, lines in his right eyebrow, light facial hair, wearing dark jeans, a black long sleeve shirt, and black vest. The other passenger was a black male, wearing a face mask and hat, with a red and black zip up jacket.

Motor Vehicle Crime

April 9, 2023 (Park Street): The owner of a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee reported that his vehicle was entered while parked in the driveway overnight. A wallet containing credit cards was stolen. The suspect attempted to use the cards at the Montclair Exxon however the transaction was declined.

Montclair Police Department

Police Blotter: April 11, 2023 – April 18, 2023

Theft

April 11, 2023 (North Willow Street): An employee of La Fontaine Café reported that one of two wooden benches located outside the cafe was missing. The bench was located on The Glenridge Avenue side of the building on the sidewalk. The bench was not secured to anything and was valued at $250.00.

April 14, 2023 (Valley Road): The manager of CVS on Valley Road reported that a white female with blonde hair wearing a black shirt, dark colored pants, and a black tote bag entered the business. This female then walked over to the freezers located in the north west corner of the store and placed approximately sixty-one Ben & Jerry Ice Cream containers, valued at $7.79 each in her bag (totaling $475.19). This female then exited the business and walked south on Valley Road. While at the corner of Preston Place, a white Jeep driving south on Valley Road pulled over and picked up the suspect. The Jeep then continued south on Valley Road where the caller sight of it.

April 15, 2023 (Bloomfield Avenue): An employee of the Shell Gas Station reported that an unknown male entered the store portion of the station at 1:22 AM and asked another customer if he could buy him a bag of chips. The customer agreed to buy the suspect a bag of chips. When the employee rang up the items, he opened the register. The suspect reached over the counter with his left arm and grabbed approximately $300 - $400 dollars of unknown denominations in cash out of the register and fled out of the store. The suspect, described as a young black male wearing a black jacket and black pants, fled on foot towards Bloomfield Avenue.

MV Crime

April 11, 2023 (High Street): The complainant reported that at some point between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM, an unknown person entered his work van and removed his lunchbox. The lunch box reportedly contained a set of vehicle and house keys, a firearms ID card, a Social Security Card,
$300 in cash, and miscellaneous bills.

April 13, 2023 (Warren Place): The caller reported that he observed a black male wearing all black clothing enter his neighbors Blue Audi which was parked on Warren Place. He stated that the suspect was traveling on foot with three other individuals which were wearing similar black clothing. One suspect entered the vehicle while the other three were standing on the sidewalk west of the driveway entrance. Nothing was reported missing.

April 14, 2023 (Warren Place): The resident reported that upon hearing of multiple burglary attempts in the area, she reviewed her surveillance footage and observed an unknown individual attempt to gain entry into her vehicle. The suspect was unsuccessful in gaining entry due to the vehicle being locked. The video footage was not clear enough to depict a description of the suspect. The video shows at approximately 1:10 AM, a vehicle traveling east on Warren Place stops at the end of the resident’s driveway. An unknown suspect exits the driver side rear door and runs up to the complainant’s vehicle and attempts to gain entry. After the unsuccessful attempt, the actor gets back into the suspect vehicle and the vehicle continues traveling east on Warren Place.

April 16, 2023 (Cooper Avenue): The resident reported that his 2019 Land Rover Discovery was stolen from his driveway during the overnight hours. The vehicle was recovered hours later in Newark, NJ.

Burglary / Attempted Burglary

April 13, 2023 (Grove Street): The resident reported that his security cameras captured an unknown male on his property at 3:17 AM. He reported that the male entered on the north side of the property and can be seen walking to the rear of the home and out of sight. The male attempted to make entry to a side door which was locked. The suspect was described as a male, unknown race, wearing dark sneakers, a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, and baggy sweat pants. Entry was not gained and nothing was reported missing.

April 18, 2023 (Warren Place): The resident reported that upon waking up in the morning, she discovered broken glass by the back-porch area. She stated that there was no other damage to the screen door or the back door. She also stated that there were no other signs of forced entry. The resident believes this incident occurred between 4-16-2023 at 10:30 PM and April 18, 2023 at 8:10 AM. Nothing was missing and there is no damage to any other property.

Suspicious Incident

April 14, 2023 (Warren Place): The resident reported that at approximately 1:18 AM, she received a notification from her surveillance system that was located in the front of the residence. Upon further review of the camera footage, she observed a dark colored SUV drive west on Warren Place, pass her residence, and then proceed to reverse back to the entrance of her driveway. Two unidentified suspects then emerged from the unknown vehicle and proceeded up the driveway. Several seconds later the two suspects can be seen leaving the driveway and re- entering the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle then traveled west on Warren Place. The resident believes the suspects were attempting to take her 2014 BMW however, it was locked.

April 14, 2023 (Warren Place): The resident reported that he believes someone attempted to gain entry into his residence. He stated that at approximately 7:30 AM, he observed multiple hand prints on the exterior side of the first-floor windows. He added that he also observed the exterior screens to the windows had either been lifted up or slid to the side. In addition, the rear storm

door located on the north side of the house was slightly ajar. There are no suspects in this incident and entry was not gained.

Montclair Police Department
Police Blotter: April 18, 2023 – April 25, 2023

Assault

April 18, 2023 (Valley Road): The victim reported that he was in the parking lot of the Acme Supermarket when he was approached by an unknown male and sprayed in the face with pepper spray. The suspect then ran to an awaiting vehicle described as an older model, gray or silver station wagon with partial New Jersey plate "J47". The suspect was described as an olive-skinned male with thick brown hair, about 5’10” in height, average build, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

Motor Vehicle Crime

April 18, 2023 (Gates Avenue): The complainant reported that a white envelope which contained approximately $2500.00 to $3000.00 in cash was stolen from the center console of his work truck. Also taken was his brown leather wallet which contained his NJ Driver’s License, a Chase Bank debit card and an American Express credit card.

April 21, 2023 (Warren Place): A resident reported witnessing an unknown male stealing items out of a construction vehicle. He stated that he was on the second floor of his residence when he noticed a black male with a medium build wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walk up to a white Ford 250 and then enter the vehicle. The suspect then entered a black vehicle with dark rims and fled east toward Orange Road. The suspect vehicle, a 2017 Audi S8 was determined to be a stolen vehicle after being pursued by Bloomfield Police. The vehicle was occupied by six males all wearing masks.

April 23, 2023 (Bellevue Avenue): The owner of a 2020 Hyundai Elantra reported that his vehicle was stolen from his residence overnight. It was recovered abandoned in Glen Ridge with heavy frontend damage.

April 23, 2023 (Forest Street): The victim reported that her 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe was damaged during the overnight hours. She reported that she awoke at 9:30 AM and discovered that her rear passenger side window had been shattered, her steering column and ignition tampered with, and her glove box lock tampered with.

Burglary

April 25, 2023 (Highland Avenue): At approximately 3:50 AM, a resident of Highland Avenue reported a burglary to his residence. The resident stated that he heard his dog barking at approximately 3:30 AM and was running around the house. The resident went down stairs and noticed the back, sliding glass door was unlocked. He stated approximately three hundred dollars cash was taken from his wallet that was in a bowl located on the kitchen island. At the time, multiple residents on Highland Avenue reported a suspicious person running through their backyards.

Montclair Police Department

Police Blotter: April 25, 2023 – May 2, 2023

Burglary

April 27, 2023 (Undercliff Road): The resident reported that at 2:43 AM, he heard the sound of a glass break coming from somewhere in the residence. Upon further investigation, he discovered that one of the glass panels on the side door leading to his kitchen had been shattered. He then stated that he believed an unknown suspect entered his residence through the side sliding glass door. From there, the suspect broke a small glass panel from the kitchen door and proceeded to enter the kitchen. It appears the suspect was looking for keys to a high-end vehicle parked in the driveway. There were no reported proceeds.

Suspicious Incident

April 29, 2023 (Clinton Avenue): The caller reported that he observed a male run down the driveway of a Clinton Avenue residence while wearing a ski mask. The male jumped into the passenger side of a white Mercedes Benz E-Class and it sped south on Clinton Avenue. He stated he could not describe the male but did advise that the vehicle in question did not have New Jersey plates. The caller found this to be suspicious and contacted police. While officers were on scene at Clinton Avenue, the West Orange Police Department notified Montclair Police that a motor vehicle burglary that had just occurred at Black Burne Terrace and Eagle Rock Way in their jurisdiction. The suspect vehicle was described as a white Mercedes Benz E-Class with a headlight out. West Orange pursued the vehicle onto Rt 280 westbound where the pursuit was terminated at exit 7.

April 30, 2023 (Gates Avenue): At approximately 3:05 AM, an officer was surveilling the area of Gates Avenue and Clinton Avenue due to an increase in motor vehicle crime. The officer observed a subject run from a driveway on Gates Ave and jump into the passenger side of a white Range Rover. The officer attempted to stop the Range Rover on Undercliff Road however, the vehicle fled into West Orange.

Motor Vehicle Crime

April 30, 2023 (Central Avenue): The caller reported that they observed an unknown male run from his driveway to an awaiting white Range Rover SUV after attempting to open the door handles of the two cars in his driveway. The male suspect was described as black male, 6'00”
tall, medium build, wearing a navy/black hooded sweatshirt, baseball cap, and a surgical mask. The suspect was unsuccessful in making entry.

May 1, 2023 (Christopher Street): The caller reported that he heard his 2022 Porsche 911 start in his driveway. When he went to investigate, he observed his vehicle reversing down the driveway and over the small trees and shrubs that line the northern edge of their property. It was last seen north on Christopher Street.

May 1, 2023 (Upper Mountain Avenue): The caller reported that his 2021 Porsche Macan was stolen from his driveway during the morning hours.

Arrests

 May 1, 2023 (Washington Avenue): At 12:49 AM, officers responded to the area of Washington Avenue on a report of individuals walking up and down driveways. Two juvenile males and a 20-year-old male, who matched the description, were stopped on Draper Terrace. Each male was from East Orange. The adult male was found to have an open warrant out of Monmouth County (no further info). One juvenile male was found to have a warrant from Essex County (no further info). All three parties were transported to Montclair Police Headquarters. The juveniles were turned over to a responsible adult. The adult was held for Monmouth County. There were no local charges.