On July 11, 2024, at approximately 4:50 p.m., Police Officers Harold Milne and Anish Bhisey
were on walking patrol of Church Square Park when they heard a woman screaming loudly.
They approached the woman, who they identified as 50-year-old Patricia Lavacchi of Union City
and found her to be acting agitated toward two men in the park. When the situation was resolved,
the officers continued the check of the park and left, but a few minutes later, at approximately
5:05 p.m., the officers responded back to the park, on reports of a woman screaming
inappropriate words and statements. Upon arrival, they observed Lavacchi threatening one of the
men with a walking cane. Officers de-escalated the situation, took possession of the cane, and
gave it back to the owner. Lavacchi was unwilling to cooperate and yelled slurs at the officers.
At one point she grabbed the cane again, and threatened to use it to hit the man she took it from
and a child nearby. She was placed under arrest and transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters
where she was charged with making terroristic threats, possession of weapons for an unlawful
purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. She was transported to the Hudson County
Correctional Facility.
On July 12, 2024, at approximately 12:10 a.m., Police Officers Frank Losurdo and Shawn
Sedora responded to the 400 block of Washington Street on reports of a man screaming and
throwing garbage at bystanders. The man, who also broke several store front windows, was last
seen walking south on Washington Street. Sgt. James Barbro, and Police Officers Christopher
Soto and Anthony Ingraffia located a man who fit the description of the suspect near Fourth and
Bloomfield Streets. They recognized him as 42-year-old Patrick Mahon of Newark, and he was
detained. An on-scene investigation revealed that Mahon picked up a metal chair belonging to
Grubbs, 418 Washington St., and threw it at the store’s front glass door, causing it to shatter and
break. He then did the same thing at 7th Street Burger, 410 Washington St., causing that glass to
break as well. A search incident to arrest located prescription pills he did not have a prescription
for. He was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters and charged with criminal mischief and
possession of prescription legend drugs. He was ultimately transported to the Hudson County
Correctional Facility.
On July 12, 2024, at approximately 2 p.m., Police Officers Harold Milne, Anthony Azzoline,
and Jessica Pizzane were on walking patrol in the Hoboken Housing Authority when they were
approached by a man who reported a package containing an air conditioner had been stolen from
his front steps on the 200 block of Jackson Street. Officers were able to identify the actor using
home security video as 24-year-old Raffaelle Spadavecchia of Hoboken. About 25 minutes later,
Detectives John Quinones, Michael Losurdo, and Samuel Flores saw Spadavecchia walking on
Jackson Street and knew he was wanted for the theft. They stopped him and conducted a search
incident to arrest and found a small tied-off plastic bag containing raw rice grains along with 19
wax folds containing suspected to be CDS heroin and a zip-lock bag with 39 white rocks
individually wrapped and tied off in plastic, suspect to be CDS Crack Cocaine. He was
transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters and charged with theft of a delivered package,
distribution of CDS, possession of drug paraphernalia, distribution of CDS within 500 feet of a
public housing complex, and distribution of CDS within 1000 feet of a school. He was processed
and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On July 12, 2024, at approximately 2:15 p.m., Sgt. William Collins, Sgt. Tyler Soto, and Police
Officers Aiden Gonzalez, Alyssa Rivera, Ronald Kibitlewski, Jairo De La Cruz, John Lawton,
Carmen Benitez, Zackary Guido, and Valentino Salgado were patrolling on the 300 block of
Marshall Drive when they saw a man they did not recognize on Hoboken Housing Authority
(HHA) property. It was discovered the man, identified as 43-year-old Kurt Guzman of Union
City, was not a resident of HHA and he was advised he was trespassing. Officers were informed
Guzman had an active warrant for theft in Jersey City. They conducted a search incident to
arrest, during which they located two unused needles. He was transported to Hoboken Police
Headquarters. Officers found six wax folds containing suspected heroin in his wallet. He was
charged with possession of CDS and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the
Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On July 12, 2024, at approximately 10:20 p.m., Police Officers Enrico Gnassi and Nicklas
Valerius responded to the area of CVS, 59 Washington Street, on reports of a man acting
aggressively and spitting on people in the store vestibule and passing by outside. Police Officer
Kyle Seper was already on the scene, attempting to de-escalate the situation. The man, later
identified as 43-year-old Alphonse Rochon of Hoboken, was irate, swinging his arms in a
fighting manner, making threats of violence, and walking in and out of traffic. When officers
asked for his identification, he screamed obscenities and flailed his arms. Due to his aggressive
and tumultuous behavior, he was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct. Rochon was
transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters, where he continued to act irate. The Hoboken
Volunteer Ambulance Corps was called to check on him and he was taken to Hoboken
University Medical Center. It was determined he had one outstanding warrant out of Cherry Hill
Township. He was released with a summons for the disorderly conduct charge in Hoboken, and a
new court date on the Cherry Hill charge.
On July 12, 2024, at approximately 5:55 p.m., Police Officers Anish Bhisey and Harold Milne
were on patrol on the 400 block of Washington Street when they saw a woman, 54-year-old
Bonnie Brickman of Hoboken, they knew had an open warrant for arrest. Sgt. Dennis Figueroa
arrived to assist. The warrant was confirmed, and Brickman was placed under arrest. A search
incident to arrest discovered a jagged glass cylindrical pipe with burnt copper mesh, commonly
known as a crack pipe. As officers walked Brickman to a patrol car to be transported to Hoboken
Police Headquarters, she began to kick their legs. While at Hoboken Police Headquarters,
Brickman became irate and kicked another officer in his knee. She was charged with aggravated
assault on police officers and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was ultimately transported to
the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On July 13, 2024, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Sgt. James Barbro witnessed a man, later
identified as 38-year-old Kerwin Whaley of Jersey City, brandishing a knife toward another man
in front of Basile’s Pizza, 89 Washington St. Police Officers Shelby Seickendick, Nicholas
Protopapadakis, David Chicara, Marvin DeJesus, and Anthony Rutkowski responded. Sgt.
Barbro had Whaley detained and had taken possession of a 7-inch folding utility knife. An onscene investigation revealed Whaley was inside the pizza shop and took pizza trays. When he
handed them back to the victim, Whaley became irate and pulled the knife out. Whaley was
arrested and transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters. He was charged with aggravated
assault, possession of weapons for unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of weapons, and
certain persons not to have weapons. It was discovered he had a warrant out of Jersey City and
was transported to the Police Department for booking there.
On July 13, 2024, at approximately 10:50 a.m., Police Officers Jessica Pizanie and Joshua
Campoverde responded to Church Square Park, 400 Garden St., on two separate reports of a
male, later identified as 43-year-old Damont Dyer of Hoboken, exposing himself. They located
Dyer, placed him under arrest, and conducted a search incident to arrest, during which they
found a glass cylindrical pipe, burnt at one end, and stuffed with metal mesh. They also found
two plastic, and one metal, push rods. Dyer was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters and
charged with lewdness and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Hudson
County Correcitonal Facility.
On July 13, 2024, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Police Officer Nicholas Protopapadakis was
patrolling Pier C Park when he was approached by a man who said another man, later identified
as 42-year-old Patrick Mahon of Newark, approached him and waved a knife at him. Police
Officers Shelby Seickendick, John Rodriguez, and Marvin DeJesus arrived to assist. Mahon was
arrested and officers found a box cutter in his possession. He was transported to Hoboken Police
Headquarters and charged with making terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for unlawful
purposes, unlawful possession of a weapon, and refusal to be fingerprinted. He transported to the
Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On July 14, 2024, at approximately 2:30 a.m., Police Officers Anthony Ingraffia and Jaydan
Gonzalez were on roving patrol on the 50 block of Washington Street, when they saw a man,
they knew had a warrant for his arrest. The man identified as Kevin Nguyen stopped when asked
by officers and it was confirmed he had a warrant out of Hoboken for a shoplifting at Madewell,
202 Washington St., and for attempted trespassing on the 600 block of First Street, both on July
11, 2024. Sgt. James Barbro and Police Officers Nicholas Protopapadakis, Nicholas Losurdo,
and David Chicara arrived to assist. Nguyen was placed under arrest. A search incident to arrest
located a small glass cylindrical pipe commonly used to ingest CDS crack cocaine. He was
transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On July 14, 2024, at approximately 3 a.m., Police Officers Frank Losurdo and Nicholas
Protopapadakis were stationed outside of Basile’s Pizza, 90 Washington St., when they observed
a verbal dispute between two men escalate into a pushing match. The officers separated those
involved and advised the crowd to disperse. One of the men, later identified as 21-year-old
Rashon Felder of Newark, approached officers in an aggressive manner, screaming at them and
threatening to harm and rob them. Felder continued to cause a disturbance, which created a
larger crowd. When he was told to leave the area or be arrested, Felder walked away, but a short
time later, he came back to the area and became a nuisance to other customers. He failed to
comply with the officer's orders to leave the area, and he was told he was being placed under
arrest. Felder refused to place his hands behind his back and tensed up his arms to resist arrest.
Police Officers Keven De La Cruz and Shawn Sodora, also in the area, assisted in handcuffing
Felder. He was transported to the Hoboken Police Headquarters and charged with disorderly
conduct and resisting arrest. He was processed and released with a summons.
On July 15, 2024, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Police Officers Harry Montalvo observed a man
he recognized as 48-year-old Jeffery Wheeler of Hoboken near the intersection of 9th and
Monroe Streets and knew he was wanted on a warrant for theft. Police Officer Daniel Grossi had
filed the charges earlier that day, during a follow-up investigation into a package theft that
occurred on Willow Terrace on July 9. Wheeler was arrested and transported to Hoboken Police
Headquarters for processing. He also had two warrants out of Hoboken for failure to appear on
previous theft charges. He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
On July 15, 2024, at approximately 5:05 p.m., Police Officer Jessica Arebalo was flagged down
by a woman who reported there were multiple people in the stairwell of a Hoboken Housing
Authority building on the 600 block of Sixth Street, who did not live there. Police Officers
Jaydan Gonzalez, Christopher Barral, Rose Kanan, and Jonathan Figueroa responded and found
three men in a stairwell. Two of them, identified as 29-year-old Edgar Najera of Jersey City and
24-year-old Manuel Chicas of Jersey City, were found to be trespassing and they were placed
under arrest. A search incident to arrest discovered multiple glass cylinder tubes with burnt ends
on both men. They were transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters. They were charged with
defiant trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia. Najera was ultimately transported to
the Hudson County Correctional Facility. Chicas was released on a summons.
On July 16, 2024, at approximately 3:40 p.m., Detective Michael Losurdo and Police Officer
Daniel Grossi responded to the 300 block of Jackson Street, where Detective John Quinones had
spotted 22-year-old Elias Ferguson of Hoboken, who had a warrant for his arrest. Ferguson was
wanted on multiple charges stemming from an incident on July 8, in which Police Officers
Andrias Bonilla and Joshua Campoverde responded to the 300 block of Harrison Street, after a
tow truck operator found a handgun in a vehicle that was improperly parked in front of a fire
hydrant. A search of the vehicle located four bullets, more than 3 dozen wax-like folds
containing a substance suspected to be CDS. A follow-up investigation by the Hoboken
Detectives Bureau identified Ferguson as the person who left the handgun in the car. In
connection to this investigation, Ferguson was charged on a warrant with intent to distribute
heroin within 500 feet of public housing, possession with intent to distribute heroin within 1,000
feet of a school, possession of firearm while committing a narcotics offense, certain persons not
to have weapons, unlawful possession of a weapons, and possession with intent to distribute
CDS. During the arrest on July 16, Ferguson was found to have 20 wax-folds containing a
powdery substance, suspected to be CDS heroin, in his possession. Ferguson was transported to
Hoboken Police Headquarters and processed on the warrant, as well as new charges of
possession with intent to distribute within 500 feet of public housing, possession with intent to
distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, and possession with intent to distribute CDS, He was
transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility. During the arrest, a crowd began gather
and back-up units were called. At approximately 3:45 p.m., 26-year-old Kareem Parker, became
aggressive towards the officers, became a hazard to all involved and created a public annoyance.
He was told to stay back, but aggressively approached officers and continued to scream in their
faces. He was arrested and transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters where he was charged
with disorderly conduct. After processing, he was released with a summons and court date.
On July 16, 2024, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Sgt. William Collins and Police Officers Ronald
Kibitlewski, Carmen Benitez, Zackary Guido, John Lawton, Alyssa Rivera, Valentino Salgado,
and Aidan Gonzalez were entering Church Square Park for a detail check, they received reports
of a woman smashing a bottle on the ground near a dog run. While investigating, they
approached a man, later identified as 46-year-old Angel Garcia of Jersey City. Garcia began
drinking an open bottle of beer in front of the officers. He was issued a summons for consuming
alcohol in public. It was discovered he had two warrants out of Union City. He was released on
the scene with a new court date.
On July 17, 2024, at approximately 4 a.m., Police Officer Anthony Ingraffia was patrolling the
area of Fourth and Hudson Streets when he saw a man he knew as 27-year-old Jethro Sylverne of
Phillipsburg. Officer Ingraffia also knew Sylverne had an open failure to appear warrant for his
arrest. Police Officers David Chicara and Keven De La Cruz arrived on scene to assist. The
warrant was confirmed for unlicensed entry into a structure. Sylverne was placed under arrest,
transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters for processing, and ultimately transported to the
Hudson County Correctional Facility.
