On February 29, 2024, at approximately 9:50 a.m., Police Officers Frank Lombardo, Elias
Colon, David Chicara, and Jessica Arebalo responded to the 500 block of Marshall Drive on
reports of unknown individuals sleeping in stairwells of a residential building. Officers found a
man sleeping on a seventh-floor landing, woke him up, and asked him to step down from the
landing which he did. They also located several items considered to be drug paraphernalia in
arms-reach of where the man, later identified as 22-year-old Christian Orellana-Medina of
Guttenberg, was sleeping including cylindrical glass pipes, a push rod, and a small empty glass
vial. He was placed under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia and defiant trespassing. A
search incident to arrest located small burnt copper steel wool commonly used to ingest CDS in
his book bag. He was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters. Sgt. Adam Colon arrived to
assist. Officers also located another individual in a different stairwell. That man, later identified
as 47-year-old Jeffrey Wheeler of Hoboken, had two outstanding warrants out of Hoboken. He
was also transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters, processed on the outstanding warrants,
and charged with defiant trespassing. Both men were taken to the Hudson County Correctional
Facility.
On February 29, 2024, at approximately 11 a.m., 50-year-old Jorge Ayala of Hoboken arrived
at Hoboken Police Headquarters where he was processed by Det. Luis Rodriguez on a summons
for theft and released with a court date. The complaint was generated by Police Officer Tyrone
Huggins on February 8, 2024, after an investigation into a report of a package theft on the 300
block of 13th Street on January 31, 2024. That report was taken by Police Officer Ramon
Estrella. On Feb. 29, Ayala was released with a court date.
On February 29, 2024, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Police Officers Arturo and Geovanni
Cruzado responded to the area of Third and Garden Streets on reports of a man dragging a
woman. When they arrived, it appeared the male, later identified as 48-year-old Victor Rivera of
Jersey City, had a knife. It was quickly determined he did not have a weapon, but officers found
two glass cylinder shaped tubes with steel wool filters commonly referred to as crack pipes.
Rivera was placed under arrest and a search incident to arrest found two wax folds containing a
white powdery substance believed to be CDS, and a cut blue plastic straw. He was transported to
Hoboken Police Headquarters and processed on charges of possession of CDS and possession of
drug paraphernalia. He was later transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On March 1, 2024, at approximately 3 a.m., Detective Ryan Houghton was working an outside
employment job at the intersection of Newark and Monroe Streets, with his emergency lights
activated, when he observed a vehicle attempt to turn onto a closed road. When the driver
realized the road was blocked, he stopped in the intersection for about 30 seconds, before turning
toward the Detective, appearing to try and go around the marked car and onto the closed road.
Det. Houghton engaged his siren to get the driver’s attention. The driver continued to drive in a
hazardous, erratic, and illegal manner. When Det. Houghton tried to direct him, he observed the
driver’s speech was slurred and his eyes were glossy and blood shot. He also noticed a strong
odor of alcoholic beverage emanating out of his breath. The driver was told to put the vehicle in
park multiple times, but did not comply, and at one point he began to move forward again. When
the driver finally stopped, the detective reached inside the window and put the car in park. When
asked for his identification, the driver did so lethargically. Police Officers Andrias Bonilla,
Aaron Font, Nicholas Protopapadakis, and Michael Straten arrived on scene. The driver was
identified as 50-year-old Jayeshba Patel of Jersey City. Officer Bonilla conducted field sobriety
tests, after which Patel was arrested for driving while intoxicated. He was transported to
Hoboken Police Headquarters where he was also issued summonses for improper backing up,
and reckless driving. As per John’s Law, he was released into the custody of a responsible party.
On March 1, 2024, at approximately 9:15 a.m., Sgt. Frank Rosa and Police Officers Jonathan
Figueroa and Elias Colon responded to the Hoboken Shelter, 300 Bloomfield St., on reports of an
assault. When they arrived, officers saw a man, later identified as 30-year-old John Azer of
Jersey City, who fit a description of the suspect standing outside the shelter. An on-scene
investigation found that after Azer was told he might have to leave for not complying with
shelter rules the night before, he walked over to a woman he recognized and hit her on the back
of her head twice with his fists. The victim was treated on the scene by members of the Hoboken
Volunteer Ambulance Corps and taken to the hospital. Azer was placed under arrest and charged
with aggravated assault, endangering another person, and obstructing the administration of the
law. He was later transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On March 1, 2024, at approximately 5:20 p.m., Police Officers Alexander Miller and Harold
Milne, while conducting a building sweep on the 300 block of Marshall Drive due to previous
complaints of non-residents in hallways and stairwells, located a man later identified as 45-yearold Jerry Walls of Jersey City. Lt. Jonathan Butler arrived on the scene. Walls was issued a
summons for defiant trespassing, escorted out of the building, and released.
On March 1, 2024, at approximately 5:50 p.m., Police Officer Anthony Azzoline responded to
Walgreens, 1300 Willow Ave., on reports of a shoplifting that had happened five minutes earlier.
Store employees saw a woman taking several items off the shelves and leave without paying.
Officers were shown surveillance video of the actor. About an hour later, while at a building on
the 600 block of Sixth Street, Officer Azzoline observed a woman who matched the description
and video of the suspect. The woman, later identified as 36-year-old Brania Fernandez of
Hoboken, was placed under arrest for shoplifting. A search incident to arrest found her to have a
cylindrical glass tube containing burned copper wire mesh on one end, a wax fold containing
suspected CDS, a cylindrical plastic container, and a metal push rod. She was transported to the
Hoboken Police Headquarters and additionally charged with possession of CDS and possession
with intent to use. She was later transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On March 1, 2024, at approximately 5:55 p.m., Police Officers Alexander Miller and Harold
Milne were conducting a building sweep in a building on the 600 block of Sixth Street, due to
complaints of non-residents hanging out in the hallways and stairwells. While checking a
stairwell landing, they located three men later identified as 24-year-old Ramiro Quirola-Vergara
of Hackensack, 22-year-old Christian Orellana-Medina of Jersey City, and 23-year-old Ismael
Tamat of West New York. They were arrested and transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters.
Police Officers Rose Kanan and Nassir Willey arrived to assist with transport. A search of
Orellana-Medina located a wax fold containing a white powdery substance suspected to be CDS
in his pocket. Officers also found nine more wax folds containing a white powdery substance
suspected to be CDS and three cellophane bags containing white powdery substance suspected to
be CDS in between layers of his socks. Orellana-Medina was charged with possession of CDS
crack cocaine, possession of CDS heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia, and defiant
trespassing. He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility. A search of Tamat
located an empty wax fold suspected to have contained CDS in a pants pocket. Tamat was
charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and defiant trespassing and was transported to the
Hudson County correctional facility. Quirola-Vergara was charged with defiant trespassing and
released with a summons.
On March 2, 2024, at approximately 1:20 p.m., Police Officers Arturo Gonzalez and Geovanni
Cruzado responded to the 100 block of Washington Street on reports of a man trespassing in
residential portion of the building. The building owner let them inside and officers observed a
man they knew and were able to identify as 53-year-old Donald Gilbert of Bayonne. He was told
to not enter the building again, given a summons for defiant trespass, and released with a court
date.
On March 2, 2024, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Sgt. Wiliam Collins observed a vehicle travel
through the intersection of Newark and Grand Streets without stopping at a posted stop sign and
then slow down and almost stop in the middle of the intersection. Sgt. Collins pulled the driver
over on the 500 block of Observer Highway. Police Officer Anthony Rutkowski responded to the
scene to assist. The driver, later identified as 38-year-old Felicia Santos of Perth Amboy, was
found to have an odor of alcoholic beverages emanating from her breath and her movements
were slow, her eyelids droopy, and eyes watery. Officer Rutkowski performed standardized field
sobriety tests, after which Santos was arrested for driving while intoxicated. She was transported
to Hoboken Police Headquarters and further charged with reckless driving and failure to stop at a
stop sign. As per John’s law, Santos was released to a responsible party.
On March 2, 2024, at approximately 9:10 p.m., Police Officers Jason Montalvo and Rose Kanan
responded to the area of Third and Madison Streets on reports of an altercation. Police Officers
Anthony Azzoline and Domenick Allegretta also responded. Upon arrival, officers did not see an
altercation going on, but did observe a woman, later identified as 24-year-old Julia Sugrim of
Hoboken, holding what appeared to be a charred glass cylindrical pipe, commonly used to smoke
CDS. Sgt. Jason Falco arrived on the scene. Sugrim was arrested for possession of drug
paraphernalia. She was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters where it was discovered she
had an outstanding warrant out of Newark. She was later transported to the Hudson County
Correctional Facility.
On March 3, 2024, at approximately 2:10 a.m., Detectives Michael Losurdo and Ryan Houghton
were on patrol on Newark Street when they observed a verbal argument taking place between
two groups of males. As they tried to separate the two groups, they observed one man, later
identified as 22-year-old Jael Maldonado of Ledgewood, push his head against another mans,
which escalated the verbal argument to a physical fight. Maldonado was placed under arrest for
disorderly conduct. Police Officers Harold Milne and Shelby Seickendick arrived on scene to
assist. Maldonado was transported to Police Headquarters and was processed. He was released
on a summons.
On March 3, 2024, at approximately 3:10 a.m., Police Officers Bianca Arroyo and Anthony
Rutkowski responded to the 1300 block of Bloomfield Street on reports of a motor vehicle
accident. Upon arrival they met with one of the drivers, later identified as 25-year-old Rahjuan
Herron of Jersey City, who officers observed to be speaking extremely fast, and had to be asked
multiple times for documents they needed for an accident report. Lt. Michael Costello and Police
Officers Marvin DeJesus and Keven De La Cruz arrived on the scene. An on-scene investigation
quickly determined the second car had been parked when the crash happened. Herron was given
field sobriety tests, after which he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. He was transported
to Hoboken Police Headquarters where he was further charged with refusal to provide breath
samples. Further investigation found a total of five parked cars had sustained damage. As per
John’s Law, Herron was released into the custody of a responsible party.
On March 3, 2024, at approximately 8 p.m., Police Officers Ramon Calderon and Jennifer Lee
responded to the area of Eighth and Jefferson Streets on reports of a package theft. Lt. Jonathan
Butler and Sgt. Jason Falco also responded and located a man who fit the description of the
suspect near Sixth and Madison Streets. The man, later identified as 27-year-old Andrew Kinney
of Union City, was found to be in possession of a package with a shipping label that did not
belong to him. He was placed under arrest, transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters and
charged with theft of a package from a residential area. He was processed and released on a
summons.
On March 4, 2024, at approximately 9:15 a.m., Police Officers Joshua Campoverde and Jessica
Pizanie responded to Hoboken Police Headquarters to process the arrest of 50-year-old George
Cook of Bayonne, who had turned himself in on simple assault charges. The charges stem from
an incident at the Hoboken Multi-Service Center, 124 Grand St., on February 29, 2024, at
approximately 5:15 p.m., in which a parent punched a referee during a school basketball game.
The Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps. treated the victim on the scene. Investigation by
Officers Campoverde and Harry Montalvo confirmed Cook as the actor, and a complaint was
generated. On March 4, Cook was processed and released on a summons.
On March 5, 2024, at approximately 11:20 a.m., Sgt. Frank Rosa and Police Officer Dylan
Archilla responded to CVS, 59 Washington St., on reports of a shoplifting where the actor had
just left the store. The actor, later identified as 39-year-old Christopher Johnson of Jersey City,
was seen by an employee putting travel items into his pockets. He then left the store without
paying. Police Officer Jonathan Figueroa, who was working an outside employment job nearby,
spotted a man who fit the suspect’s description on the 300 block of Washington Street and
stopped him. Johnson was placed under arrest for shoplifting. A search of Johnson located a
handful of the items missing from CVS. Other items were found discarded on the street between
the store and arrest location. Johnson was transported to the Hudson County Correctional
Facility.
On March 5, 2024, at approximately 10 p.m., Police Officers Anthony Hochstadter and Paul
Quinn responded to Church Square Park, 400 Garden St.., on a possible medical emergency.
Police Officer Ramon Calderon was also on the scene, with a male and female the officers knew
were unhoused. While members of the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps evaluated the man,
the woman who officers identified as 49-year-old Patricia Lavacchi, became agitated and made
threats to anyone who touched the man. Officers had to stop her from interfering with EMTs
multiple times and she became even more agitated and threatened to knock them out if they
didn’t get out of her way. She was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct and released on a
summons.
On March 6, 2024, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Police Officers Samuel Flores and Dylan
Archilla responded to ShopRite, 900 Madison St., on reports of a shoplifter being held by
security. The actor, identified as 30-year-old Shaquilla Dubose of Hoboken, was seen by store
security scanning only some of the items in her cart and bags. She tried to leave with $165 in
unpaid items before being stopped by loss prevention officers. Dubose was transported to
Hoboken Police Headquarters, charged with shoplifting, and released with a summons.
On March 6, 2024, at approximately 5:05 p.m., Police Officers Alexander Miller and Nicholas
Protopapadakis responded to the area of Second and Madison Streets on reports of a someone
stealing a package. They observed a man who fit the description of the suspect near Fourth and
Madison Streets. Police Officers Joshua Campoverde and Anthony Ingraffia arrived on the
scene. The man, later identified as Torres, was detained and officers could observe an article of
clothing in a white plastic package with tags still on. Officers also located a glass cylindrical pipe
commonly used to smoke CDS and a lighter in his pocket. He was transported to Hoboken
Police Headquarters and charged with theft of a package from residential property and
possession of drug paraphernalia. Torres was transported to the Hudson County Correctional
Facility.
*The charges are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until,
proven guilty in a court of law. *
