1. On December 19, 2024, at approximately 1 p.m., Police Officers Bianca Arroyo and
Jennifer Lee responded to the area of Fourth and Jackson Streets on reports of shots fired.
Additional units also responded. An on-scene investigation revealed that a dispute
between two groups known to each other resulted in shots fired. All involved parties
dispersed the area immediately following the gunfire, some in vehicles. Officers quickly
located 18-year-old Elias Mercado of Kearny in a nearby building and he was arrested for
criminal attempted murder. A search incident to arrest of Mercado located a bullet casing,
14 wax folds containing a white powdery substance suspected to be CDS heroin, 17 vials
containing small white rocks of suspected CDS crack cocaine, and cash totaling $126.
Mercado was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters where he was further charged
with burglary, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful
purpose, possession of controlled dangerous substances, possession with intent to
distribute within 500 feet of public housing, possession with intent to distribute, and
possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school. He was processed and
transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
2. On December 20, 2024, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Detectives Paul Quinn and Samuel
Flores were traveling on Willow Avenue near Ninth Street, when they saw a man, they knew
as 38-year-old Eugene Ortiz of Jersey City, pushing a wagon. He was with a second man
later identified as 47-year-old Marcos Buelvas of Hoboken. Officers observed Buelvas take
a ceramic vase from private property on the 900 block of Garden Street and place it in the
wagon. Then they saw Ortiz walk out of the building with two packages in his arms. They
stopped both men. Police Officers Brandon Fitzgibbons, Frank Lombardo, Enrico Gnassi,
and Valentino Salgado arrived to assist. Ortiz was placed under arrest and a search found
him with one box cutter with a red handle. He was transported to Hoboken Police
Headquarters and charged with burglary, theft of package from residential property, and
certain persons not to have weapons. It was discovered Buelvas had warrants and he was
arrested. A search incident to arrest discovered him to be in possession of one white
mushroom with a brown top, believed to be suspected CDS psilocybin mushroom. He was
transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters and charged with possession of CDS. He was
found to have one warrant out of the Hudson County Sheriff's Office for aggravated
criminal sexual contact, one out of New Jersey Superior Court for failure to pay after order,
and one out of Union City for driving while suspended. Both Ortiz and Buelvas were
transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
3. On December 21, 2024, at approximately 12:35 a.m., Police Officers David Chicara and
Carmen Benitez responded to the 300 block of Jackson Street, on reports of a man who
was assaulted by a group of other men and had his sneakers stolen. An on-scene
investigation revealed the victim was outside when a group of young adults wearing masks
approached him, surrounded him, and started kicking and punching him, causing injuries
to his face. The Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps arrived to treat the victim. It was
discovered his wallet was also missing. Police Officers Frank Losurdo and Ronald
Kibitlewski located a group of males fitting the descriptions of the actors on the 400 block
of Marshall Drive. The group ran off and did not stop when officers ordered them to do so.
Officers apprehended three men, identified as 20-year-old Tyshawn Lane of Jersey City, 18-
year-old Joshua Agosto of Jersey City, and 20-year-old Khalil Murray, Jr. of Hoboken nearby
and all three were arrested for obstructing the administration of the law. They were
transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters, processed, and released on a summons
with court dates.
4. On December 21, 2024, at approximately 12:51 p.m., Police Officers Michael Chen,
Brandon Capelluti, and Leroy Sherrill were on patrol on the 50 block of Hudson Place when
they observed a man they recognized as 33-year-old Joseph Catagnus of Hoboken, and
knew he had a warrant out of Hoboken. A warrant for criminal mischief was confirmed and
Catagnus was placed under arrest and transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters
where he was processed and then transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
5. On December 21, 2024, at approximately 2:20 p.m., Police Officers Kyle Seper and
Andrias Bonilla responded to Sticky Fingers, 112 Washington St., on reports of an
individual breaking a sign outside the business. Police Officers Anthony Olivera and Jason
Montalvo also responded. They found the actor, later identified as 21-year-old Derek Nolan
of Saddle River, inside the business. He was arrested, transported to Hoboken Police
Headquarters, and charged with criminal mischief. After being processed, Nolan was
released with a summons.
6. On December 21, 2024, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Police Officers Anthony Olivera and
Jason Montalvo on patrol on the 200 block of Washington Street when they observed a
group of people involved in a shoving match. They saw one man, later identified as 24-yearold Prince Glorious Fitzpatrick of Manalapan, throw a punch at another man, later
identified as 22-year-old James Johnson of Bayonne. As officers were arresting Fitzpatrick,
Johnson attempted to start a fight with Fitzpatrick’s friends. He ignored the officers' orders
to step back. He was placed under arrest. Both were transported to Hoboken Police
Headquarters where they were charged with disorderly conduct. After being processed
Fitzpatrick and Johnson were released with summonses.
7. On December 21, 2024, at approximately 9:40 p.m., Police Officers Christopher Barral,
Roberto Cuevas, Keven De La Cruz, and Alyssa Rivera responded to Cork City, 239
Bloomfield St., on reports of two people refusing to leave. The two men later identified as
22-year-old David Flores of Morgantown, and 31-year-old Roberto Tedesco of Hoboken,
were escorted outside the bar and continued to act disorderly by standing in the middle of
the street yelling at officers. When asked to leave the area, Flores continued to yell,
causing a disturbance. He was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct and transported
to Hoboken Police Headquarters for processing. A short time later, officers observed
Tedesco outside headquarters, urinating. He began to walk away and didn’t stop when
officers told him to do so. He was placed under arrest for obstructing the administration of
the law and received a summons for urinating in public. Both men were released with a
summons.
8. On December 22, 2024, at approximately 1:25 a.m., Police Officers Cynthia Rivera and
Marvin DeJesus were approached by a bystander near the intersection of River and Newark
Streets who told them there was a large fight taking place on the 50 block of River Street.
Upon arrival, the officers saw about 20 to 30 people pushing and shoving each other. One
man, later identified as 28-year-old Drew Samson of Jersey City, was trying to stand up and
officers helped him up. As officers were clearing the crowd, Samson wrapped his arms
around one of the officers and later advanced toward and pushed the officer, in an attempt
to get through. He was arrested for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and
transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters. While there, he would not give his personal
information and refused to be fingerprinted. He was additionally charged with refusal to be
fingerprinted and was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
9. On December 22, 2024, at approximately 2:35 a.m., Police Officers Anthony Olivera and
Valentino Salgado responded to the 50 block of Washington Street on reports of a fight.
They observed a large group near the intersection of First and Bloomfield Streets, outside
of The Shannon, 106 First St. As they attempted to disperse the crowd, one woman, later
identified as 21-year-old Jeanliz Irizarry-Escobar of Hoboken, continued to engage in
disorderly behavior by screaming, yelling, and attempting to engage in a physical
altercation with others in the crowd. Officers told her multiple times that if she didn’t stop
her behavior and leave, she would be arrested. She became irate and continued to
scream, yelling profanities at responding officers. She was placed under arrest, despite
efforts to resist by tensing her arms. She was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters
and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and criminal mischief. She was
processed and released from custody with a summons. Officers also arrested 22-year-old
Tremayne Justin Morton of North Carolina, who was observed attempting to intervene with
the arrest of Irizarry-Escobar. Morton was told numerous times to get back, but he refused
and was arrested for obstructing the administration of the law. He was transported to
Hoboken Police Headquarters and released with a summons, after being processed.
10. On December 22, 2024, at approximately 10:45 a.m., Police Officers Daniel Barron
and Jessica Pizani responded to the Hoboken Shelter, 300 Bloomfield St., on reports of a
man inside, who had been banned from the facility. Upon arrival, they met with 38-year-old
Renzo Carhuanini of Hoboken, who had tried to enter the shelter, despite being told he
wasn’t welcome there, and he caused a commotion when a family member wouldn’t leave
with him. Police Officer Ramon Estrella arrived on the scene to assist. It was learned
Carhuanini had two active warrants, but he had already left the area. Carhuanini showed
up at Hoboken Police Headquarters to file a complaint against the Shelter, and he was
arrested on a warrant for criminal mischief out of Union City, and simple assault out of
Jersey City. He was transported to the Union City Police Department to be processed on
the charges there.
11. On December 22, 2024, at approximately 12:05 p.m., Police Officers Harry Montalvo
and Frank Lombardo responded to the 400 block of Marshall Drive on reports of a medical
incident involving a man they recognized as 32-year-old Thomas Steed of Hoboken. Sgt.
Tyler Soto and Police Officers Elias Colon, Jessica Pizanie, and Daniel Barron arrived on the
scene to assist, along with the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Hoboken Fire
Department. During the call for service, Steed was found to be in possession of 60 wax
folds containing CDS heroin. He was arrested for possession of CDS heroin, possession of
CDS heroin within 500 feet of public housing, possession of CDS heroin within 1,000 feet of
a school, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Later, while on prisoner watch at a local
hospital, Steed assaulted a member of the medical staff and tried to disarm an officer. He
was further charged with disarming a law enforcement officer and turned over to the
custody of the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department.
12. On December 22, 2024, at approximately 4:35 p.m., Police Officers Christopher Soto
and Dylan Archilla responded to ShopRite, 900 Madison St., on reports of a shoplifter who
was still on the scene and in the custody of store security. Upon arrival, they learned that
59-year-old Albert Rodriguez of Union City was seen taking multiple items off store shelves
and putting them into a tote-bag. He then tried to leave after paying for only one of the
items in his bag. Security officers stopped him with $124.80 of unpaid items. Rodriguez
was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters where he was charged with shoplifting. It
was found he had a warrant out of Hudson County. He was processed and later
transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
13. On December 23, 2024, at approximately 1 a.m., Sgt. Michael Losurdo and Police
Officers David Chicara, Carmen Benitez, Mark Mooreman, and Aidan Gonzalez observed
four people wearing black ski masks near the intersection of Sixth and Harrison Streets.
They were observed walking through Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) property to the
Ninth Street Light Rail Station. Officers approached the four individuals and told them they
would be charged with trespassing, since none of them lived on HHA property. The men
were identified as 22-year-old Henry Contreras of West New York, 19-year-old Rodolfo
Contreras of West New York, 19-year-old Rolando Cortez of West New York, and 20-year-old Javier Soriano of West New York. Henry Contreras resisted arrest by leaning his
stomach against a railing, preventing officers from handcuffing him. He also kicked his
feet, hitting some of the officers. He also tried to jump over a railing to avoid apprehension.
Sgt. Roary Miller and Police Officer Daniela Simone arrived to assist. Henry Contreras was
arrested and a search incident to arrest located two pieces of a broken glass cylindrical
pipe with a bunt end and seven bags of CDS crack cocaine. A search incident to arrest of
Rodolfo Contreras located a glass cylindrical pipe with burnt ends. A search incident of
Cortez located a glass cylindrical pipe with burnt ends and copper wiring. All four men
were transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters where it was discovered that Henry
Contreras had three warrants out of West New York and one from the Superior Court of
New Jersey. Rodolfo Contreras was found to have one warrant out of Hoboken, and
Soriano had one warrant out of Weehawken. Henry Contreras was charged with aggravated
assault on a police officer, possession of CDS, distribution of CDS, distribution of CDS
within 500 feet of public housing, distribution of CDS within 1,000 feet of a school, resisting
arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief, and defiant trespassing. He
was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility. Rodolfo Contreras was
charged with defiant trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia and transported to
the Hudson County Correctional Facility. Cortez was charged with defiant trespassing and
possession of drug paraphernalia and released with a summons. Soriano was charged with
defiant trespassing and was released with a summons.
14. On December 23, 2024, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Police Officer Rose Kanan was on
the 400 block of Jackson Street when she observed a man she recognized as 34-year-old
Christopher Peselli of Hoboken, who she knew was wanted on multiple warrants. Police
Officers Jessica Pizanie, Anthony Olivera, and Bianca Arroyo arrived on the scene to assist.
A search incident to arrest located a folding knife, a clear straw with an unknown powdery
substance, and a pill crusher with an unknown white powdery substance. Peselli was
arrested and transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters, where he was charged with
certain persons to not have a weapon, unlawful possession of weapons, and possession of
drug paraphernalia. He was also processed on the warrant charges of burglary, theft, and
criminal mischief in connection to a December 2, 2024, report taken by Police Officer
Brandon Fitzgibbons, in which several packages were taken from a building on the 400
block of Newark Street. A follow-up investigation by Police Officers Anthony Ingraffia and
Joshua Campoverede identified Peselli as one of two actors in the incident, and he was
charged on a complaint with burglary, theft of a package from residential property and
possession of burglary tools. After being processed on Dec. 23, Peselli was transported to
the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
15. On December 23, 2024, at approximately 5:25 p.m., Sgt. Adam Colon and Police
Officers Trevor Thomas and Brian Kim were on patrol on the 300 block of Jackson Street
when they observed a man they knew as 58-year-old Joseph Crandell of Hoboken, who
they knew to have a warrant in connection to an incident on September 25, 2024, in which
a victim was threatened with a knife. The report was taken by Police Officer Jaydan
Gonzalez and a follow up investigation led by Detective Paul Quinn identified Crandell as
the actor. Crandell was charged on a warrant with robbery, making terroristic threats,
possession of weapons for unlawful purposes, and unlawful possession of a weapon. On
Dec. 23, the warrant was confirmed and a short time later Police Officers Christopher
Barral and John Lawton observed Crandell nearby. When they told him to stop, Crandell
fled the area on his bicycle. Officers chased him and caught up to him as he tried to enter a
building on the 500 block of Jackson Street. During a search incident to arrest, Crandell
was belligerent, became aggressive, and verbally threatened officers. Officers located a
small plastic bag containing a white powdery substance believed to be CDS cocaine.
Crandell was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters and arrested for the robbery.
He was further charged with making terroristic threats, possession of CDS crack cocaine,
obstruction, resisting by flight, resisting by force, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He
was also issued a summons for operating a bicycle on the sidewalk and operating a bicycle
in the opposite direction of traffic. He was ultimately transported to the Hudson County
Correctional Facility.
16. On December 24, 2024, at approximately 2:05 a.m., Sgt. Michael Losurdo observed
two individuals in the lobby of a Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) building on the 300
block of Marshall Drive. He stopped one of them, later identified as 28-year-old Manuel
Orozco of New York City, who gave officers a fake name. It was determined he was not a
resident of HHA, and he was arrested for defiant trespassing. Police Officers Jaydan
Gonzalez, Daniela Simone, and Carmen Benitez were also on the scene. A search incident
to arrest located a glass tube burnt at both ends. Sgt. Losurdo located the second man he
saw in the lobby, and he was identified as 32-year-old Tajhmere Rhone of Jersey City.
Rhome was arrested for defiant trespassing. A search incident to arrest located 51 wax
folds of suspected CDS heroin, 32 small plastic bags containing a white powdery
substance suspected to be CDS crack cocaine, and multiple sets of cash currency which
was consistent with the proceeds of a narcotics sale. Orozco and Rhone were transported
to Hoboken Police Headquarters. Orozco was further charged with possession of drug
paraphernalia and hindering by giving false information. He was released on a summons
with a court date. Rhone was charged with distribution of CDS heroin within 500 feet of
public housing, distribution of CDS crack cocaine within 500 feet of public housing,
possession of CDS heroin, possession of CDS crack cocaine, distribution of CDS heroin
1,000 feet from a school, CDS distribution of crack cocaine 1,000 feet from a school,
distribution of CDS heroin, distribution of CDS crack cocaine, and possession of drug
paraphernalia. He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
17. On December 25, 2024, at approximately 4:40 a.m., Police Officers Valentino Salgado
and Jaydan Gonzalez responded to Hoboken University Medical Center, 308 Willow Ave.,
on reports of a man who had fled the hospital. While searching for the individual, officers
located 33-year-old Angel Lopez-Sierra of Hoboken, on the 400 block of Newark Street,
and it was later determined he had a warrant our of Hoboken and another out of
Edgewater. He was placed under arrest and a search located a wax-fold with a brown
powdery substance suspected to be CDS heroin, an empty capsule commonly used to
conceal crack cocaine, three metal push rods, wire mesh, and six loaded hypodermic
needles with unknown liquids. He was transported to Hoboken Police Headquarters. He
was processed on the warrants and all charges and ultimately transported to the Hudson
County Correctional Facility.
18. On December 25, 2024, at approximately 1:40 p.m., Police Officer Tyrone Huggins
observed a car swerving while driving on the 200 block of Jackson Street and then saw it hit
the mirror of a parked police car. The driver later identified as 32-year-old Andrew
Lavenburg of Hoboken, parked the car on the sidewalk on the 300 block of Jackson Street
and stumbled out of the car. Officer Huggins approached the driver and could smell the
odor of alcoholic beverages emanating from him. Lt. Christopher LaBruno and Police
Officers Brandon Fitzgibbons and Marco Grossman arrived on the scene to assist. A field
sobriety test was performed, after which Lavenburg was arrested for driving under the
influence. During the arrest, Lavenburg tried to pull away from the officers. During
transport to Hoboken Police Headquarters, he kicked the rear door and window and when
they got there, he threw himself on the ground causing officers to carry him inside.
Lavenburg refused to provide breath samples. A search of his vehicle located an open
bottle of vodka. He was given summonses for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving,
refusing to provide breath samples, and open/unsealed container. As per John’s Law he
was released into the custody of a responsible party.
