May 2024

Montclair Police Department
Police Blotter: April 30, 2024 – May 7, 2024

Burglary / Attempted Burglary

April 30, 2024 (Hitchcock Place): The resident reported that she was asleep and was alerted at 1:30 AM by her home surveillance that an unknown person was at her rear door. Her husband reported that he went to investigate and observed an unknown male attempting to make entry through a kitchen window. Once the suspect observed the homeowners, he fled the scene on foot. The suspect was described as a male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt along with jeans and sneakers.

May 2, 2024 (Forest Street): A resident reported juveniles inside of a vacant home on Forest Street. Upon arrival of police, three juvenile males were seen running from the property. They were apprehended by patrol and found to be students from Montclair High School. They were turned over to the School Resource Officer and school officials.

Motor Vehicle Crime / Suspicious Incident

May 4, 2024 (Park Street): The resident reported that he observed an unknown male walk down his driveway and enter his 2016 Volvo. The resident yelled, and the suspect fled to an awaiting Jeep Cherokee. The resident believes the suspect stole $60.00 in cash.

May 4, 2024 (Cooper Avenue): The resident reported that his surveillance cameras recorded an unknown individual walking up his driveway and approaching the driver’s side door of his 2020 BMW X3. The vehicle was locked causing the suspect to run towards Cooper Avenue and out of sight.

Assist Other Agency

May 2, 2024 (Edgecliff Road): Montclair Officers were dispatched to the area of Bradford Avenue and Edgecliff Road to assist Cedar Grove Police. Cedar Grove PD reported that they were in pursuit of a stolen Kia Optima east on Bradford Avenue in their township. Once the suspect vehicle entered Montclair, the vehicle was involved in a single car motor vehicle accident at Edgecliff Road. Four suspects bailed out of the suspect vehicle and fled on foot in different directions. Montclair Officers assisted in the subsequent search. Two juveniles from East Orange (age 14 and age 17) as well as a 19-year-old male from East Orange and an 18-year-old male from Pemberton, NJ were located. They were placed under arrest and turned over to Cedar Grove Police.

Robbery

May 6, 2024 (Glenridge Avenue): The victim reported that he was walking north on Pine Street towards Claremont Avenue. He reported that he was approached by two males, one of which asked him for the time. When the victim looked at his watch. One of the suspects slapped the victim across the face causing a laceration. The suspects then demanded the victim’s watch and tote bag. The bag contained the victim’s medication. The suspect’s were described as two Hispanic males, one was 6'00” in height, no clothing description. The second suspect was 5'10” tall, no clothing description.

Montclair Police Department
Police Blotter May 7, 2024 – May 14, 2024

Motor Vehicle Crime

May 7, 2024 (Llewellyn Road): The complainant reported that he was performing landscaping work on Llewellyn Road and left his truck unattended. When he returned, he discovered a bag was missing from his truck. The bag contained approximately $1500 in various hand and power tools.

May 8, 2024 (Bloomfield Avenue): The victim reported that he parked his vehicle in the parking lot of 7-11. He left his vehicle running with the windows down. When he returned, he discovered that his vehicle had been stolen. It was described as a 2016 Mazda 6 series. The vehicle was recovered by Newark Police on May 13, 2024 after being involved in a robbery in East Orange.

Shoplifting

May 9, 2024 (Valley Road): The manager at King’s Supermarket reported an unknown female stole two cartons of Newport Cigarettes. The theft was discovered after reviewing surveillance footage. The suspect was described as a white female in her mid-thirties, 5’6” tall, blonde hair, wearing a gray shirt with a logo on the front, black pants, light colored crocs, carrying a black tote bag with a New York skyline logo on it.

Burglary

May 11, 2024 (South Mountain Avenue): Officers responded to a South Mountain Avenue residence on an activated burglar alarm. Responding officers located a broken basement windowpane. In addition, a red backpack containing a screwdriver was located in the driveway. The residents were away at the time of the burglary but returned home. The suspect(s) fled prior to police arrival. The homeowners did not report any items missing.

Arrests

May 7, 2024 (Trinity Place): A 44-year-old male from Montclair was charged with Terroristic Threats stemming from a dispute on Trinity Place.

May 13, 2024 (Orange Road): At approximately 1:30 AM, Montclair Officers were dispatched to a residence on the 200 block of Orange Road for a reported Burglary in Progress. The homeowner reported hearing noises coming from his first floor. He went downstairs to investigate and observed an unknown male inside of his residence. The resident immediately contacted 911.

Arriving officers observed the suspect jumping out of a first-floor window. After a brief foot pursuit, officers apprehended an 18-year-old male from Orange, New Jersey. The suspect was carrying a black crowbar, a screw driver, was wearing gloves and a face mask. The suspect was charged with Burglary, Possession of Burglary Tools, Criminal Mischief, Resisting Arrest, and Obstruction by Flight.

May 13, 2024 (Greenwood Avenue): Officers responded to the area of Greenwood Avenue and Glenridge Avenue on a report of a male with a handgun. Responding officers located a male matching the description entering a parked vehicle. The suspect was found to be in possession of a Glock 9mm handgun. The suspect, a 32-year-old male from Sommerville, NJ was charged with Unlawful Possession of a Handgun.

Montclair Police Department
Police Blotter: May 14, 2024 – May 21, 2024

Burglary

May 16, 2024 (Woodmont Road): Officers responded to a Woodmont Road residence on a report of a suspicious vehicle. Upon the arrival of officers, they discovered a silver Range Rover parked in the middle of the road. The vehicle was running and unoccupied. Officers determined that the Range Rover had been reported stolen from Clifton, NJ. Officers began canvassing the neighborhood for surveillance cameras and came across a residence that had a window that appeared to have been pried open.

Officers spoke with the homeowners (who were on the second floor) and once made aware of the damage, the homeowners confirmed that their home had been burglarized. It appears the suspects made entry into the home through a first-floor window.

Once inside, the suspects located the keys to the resident’s 2023 BMW and 2019 Acura. The suspects then fled the scene in the resident’s two vehicles, leaving the Range Rover behind.

Vandalism

May 19, 2024 (Pine Street): Officers responded to a Pine Street address for a report of a woman screaming and slashing the tires to a parked vehicle. The caller reported that he observed a woman banging on a vehicle which was parked across the street from his apartment. The suspect was described as a black female in her thirties wearing a pink bathrobe and a pink bonnet.

The suspect was observed striking the vehicle several times with a piece of wood, causing multiple dents to the exterior, in addition to shattering both the front and rear windshields. She was last seen walking east on Sherman Street.

Assault

May 14, 2024 (Bloomfield Avenue): The victim reported that she was at the bus stop at Bloomfield Avenue and Church Street when a male approached her and punched her in the face. She suffered redness and swelling to her face but refused medical attention.

Montclair Police Department

Police Blotter: May 28, 2024 – June 4, 2024

Theft

May 28, 2024 (Park Street): The complainant reported that a package delivered to her residence had been stolen. Home surveillance captured the suspect take the package which contained an iPhone, an iPad, and several accessories valued at approximately $3000.00. The suspect was described as a tall, slender, light skinned male wearing a lavender sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Motor Vehicle Crime

(Chestnut Street, Valley Road, North Mountain Avenue, Willowdale Avenue, Upper Mountain Avenue): Several reports of entered unlocked vehicles were taken during the week. Shortly after midnight on May 29, 2024, two vehicles were found to have been entered on Chestnut Street in the area oof Forest Street. The vehicles were all entered, and the contents were thrown around Chestnut Street. Nothing of value was reported missing. At the same time on Valley Road, a 2014 Ford Prius was entered, and the contents of the vehicle were left in the driveway. Nothing of value was reported missing.

At approximately noon on May 31, 2024, a 2016 Toyota Highlander was entered on North Mountain Avenue. The front passenger side window had been shattered. The suspects took a Louis Vuitton bag. The bag contained several gift cards. Over the weekend on Willowdale Avenue, a work van was entered while unoccupied. Approximately $4500 worth of tools were taken. On Upper Mountain Avenue, a resident reported that they began receiving fraud alerts on his credit cards. When he checked his vehicle, he observed that it had been entered and his wallet was missing. The cards were used at the Short Hills Mall and in the Union Couty area.

Arrests

May 30, 2024 (Maple Avenue): A juvenile student from Glenfield Middle School reported that while walking through Glenfield Park on her way to school, she observed a male on the stairs leading from the walking path to the wooded brook area. The male had his pants and underwear down to his knees exposing his genitals. The student proceeded directly to the school and alerted school officials who immediately contacted the Montclair Police. Officers responded and located the male party who was subsequently identified as the suspect. The suspect, a 24-year-old male from East Orange, was placed under arrest. He was turned over to the Essex County Sheriffs Department due to the incident occurring inside of a county park.

May 31, 2024 (Grove Street): Officers responded to the area of Grove Street and Walnut Street on a report of a physical dispute. One of the suspects was reported to be armed with a rifle. Upon arrival of officers, the victim reported that there had been a fight and the suspect had pointed a gun at him. The suspect was located by officers on scene. Further investigation revealed that the suspect, a 25-year-old male from Wayne, NJ had been in possession of a loaded AM-15 Rifle. He was charged with Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Possession of Prohibited Weapons and Devices. He was remanded to the Essex County Jail.