Police Blotter - 4/16-4/29 “He Took Action with a Dead Opossum”; Secure Your Ladders

Monthly RPD Reports can be found here.

This is Rutherford publishes incidents that the public may find interesting or informative. The Blotter represents a small fraction of the total calls the RDP responds to regularly. The following information was provided to TIR by the Rutherford Police. All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Incidents involving juveniles will not be published.

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Monday, April 29th - Fraud, Hastings Ave

A 23 year old female stated that on or about Monday, 4/15 she received an email at her college email address advertising for a “career building opportunity” from “marketsurveys@icloud.com.” She stated that a link provided in the email was opened and an application form was provided, which she filled out and submitted. The form requested standard information and the complainant was later notified by her college IT department that it was part of a phishing scam. She later received an email from “David” from “Track Markets, Inc.” and notified her she’d be receiving a check, instruction letter and assignment form. She did receive all of the above by USPS from “Clara Anderson” for $1,500 from “Wood Forest National Bank” in Texas. She did not endorse or cash the check and responded to RPD immediately. She then received 3 telephone calls from someone posing as the Social Security Administration. They told her that her Social Security had been suspended. She was provided an ID theft package and was advised to call credit bureau.

Friday, April 26th - Criminal Mischief, Rt 17 N

A limo company at 201/301 Rt 17 reported that an employee quit his job and when he returned the company car he had used, the company owner stated the driver’s seat was reclined all the way back and would not return to its regular position. The owner accused the employee of breaking the seat on purpose. The accused said the seat had been working properly and doesn’t know when it began to malfunction. The owner of the company was advised on how to sign a civil complaint.

Friday, April 26th - Verbal Dispute, Rt 17 N

A caller reported a dispute on Rt. 17 over the fact that a customer at Dunkin Donuts was displeased with the cashier’s attitude and had been overcharged. RPD responded, the dispute was settled and the customer advised not to return.

Wednesday, April 24th - Suspicious Person, Union Ave

A caller reported that a white male in 20’s wearing a red shirt who appeared to be agitated was kicking the bushes in the area of Chestnut and Union. Officers responded and the man said he was mad because he missed his bus.

Sunday, April 21st - Suspicious Incident, Belford Ave

A caller reported he heard an outside alarm at approximately 2:26 a.m. When he went to investigate, he noticed a ladder propped against the house next door next to an open window. RPD officers observed the same. The daughter of the homeowners was contacted and she stated she secured the residence on 4/19 at 3pm. In order to secure a perimeter around the house, Bergen County Sheriff’s Dept and K-9 were requested and arrived. Entry was made to the home through the open window by Lt. Farrell. The house was not ransacked and it was believed the suspect exited through the same window he or she entered through. The ladder was being stored in the yard of the home. The daughter confirmed nothing missing to her knowledge. RPD advises you not to leave an easily accessible ladder on your property.

Sunday, April 21st - Animal Complaint, Sylvan Street

A 50 year old male believed a coyote was drinking water from the water fountain on his property on the 200 block of Sylvan Street. The animal left the area prior to RPD arrival.

Sunday, April 21st - Suspicious Incident, Carmita Ave

A 41 year old female reported an unknown party tried to open the rear door of her residence. She stated she saw a black Volkswagen sedan, possibly a Jetta, with a temporary plate leave the area and head southbound onto West Passaic Ave. Officers checked the surrounding area but the vehicle was gone on arrival.

Saturday, April 20th - Suspicious Incident, Woodward Ave

A 22 year old male reported he had seen the same red 2007 4-door Toyota Corolla with tinted windows the past two days near his residence and also in his vicinity when he was out of town. On 4/19 he exited his residence and saw the vehicle. He traveled to Lyndhurst where he saw the same vehicle park near him. Upon returning to his residence he saw the vehicle again. No one approached him but he reported it because he felt it was suspicious.

Saturday, April 20th - Fraud, Jackson Ave

A 27 year old male resident reported being the victim of fraud. He had been speaking to a woman through a free wifi communication app called “Line” which is used for free texting and phone calls. Line uses the user’s GPS location to connect them to personal contacts and people close to their geographic location. While using Line, the victim began texting with a female known as “Candy”. After a week of texting, they agreed to meet at the 7/11 on Jackson Ave. He arrived early at which time he received a phone call from an unknown caller by the name of “Kun” and identified himself as Candy’s friend and advised the victim he was providing protection to her as it was the first time they were meeting. Kun stated he could see the victim at the 7/11 but in order to see Candy, he would first have to purchase a gift card and send a photo of the bar code. The victim became alarmed and left the 7/11 and drove in a random direction so as not to be followed. Eventually Kun called him back and told him “I’ll put you in a wheelchair.” Because of the threat, the victim went back to 7/11 and purchased a Google Play card for $150, exposed the bar code and sent the image to Candy via the Line app. He then received a second phone call from Kun requesting a second gift card for $500, with which he also complied. RPD investigated and contacted Google Play which stated both cards were already used in full.

Saturday, April 20th - Animal Complaint, Feronia Way

A 39 year old male contacted RPD to state there was a brown snake inside his residence. Sgt. Scannell collected it and released it away from the residence. The resident was unaware of what to do with the snake.

Saturday, April 20th - Suspicious Incident, Montross Ave

A driver noticed a dead opossum on the hood of a 2019 Chevy Tahoe parked on the 200 block of Montross Ave. The vehicle was partially blocking a driveway. Operational cameras in the area produced a video in which a male party got out of his car, picked up a deceased possum from the roadway and tossed it onto the hood of the Tahoe. The driver then backed his car into the driveway that was being partially blocked by the Tahoe. RPD identified this property as belonging to driver and made contact with him there. The man admitted to having thrown the dead opossum on the Tahoe out of frustration from it blocking his driveway. Because of the number of times his driveway had been blocked in the past, he “snapped” and “saw red” and took action with the dead opossum. He removed the dead animal by putting it in a plastic bag and attempted to hose off the Tahoe. There was no apparent damage to the vehicle. Contact was made with the vehicle’s owner who was attending Passover services at Congregation Beth El. Neither person wanted to sign complaints.

Friday, April 19th - Animal Complaint, Woodward Ave

A 36 year old resident called stating a squirrel was inside her residence. It was in her chimney between the first floor and basement. Officer Caughey was unable to remove the squirrel and notified the superintendent.

Thursday, April 18th - Property Found, West Erie

A DPW worker located a butterfly knife along with keys and a specific vehicle remote while cleaning up on the wooded area near Beech Street. Please call 201-939-6000 X 1 if you believe it to be your property and are able to correctly describe it.

Tuesday, April 16th - Suspicious Incident, Vanderburgh Ave

A 19 year old female reported she was being harassed by a 35 year old male from Clifton whom she met through an online dating app. The app had profiles that are openly viewable to the public, as opposed to an app like Tinder that matches you to closed profiles. She reported that for approximately a month and a half she spoke with a man who went by the name of “Chris.” “Chris” informed her that he was looking for a “sugar baby” also known as a woman who he would pay to be his girlfriend and engage in sexual acts for $5,000 per month. When she refused, he offered her “no financial limit” and told her that he had a bank account worth $300,000 in it to which she would have access to via debit card. When she declined again, he responded to her via text that he had already opened the account and bought non-refundable insurance on the account for $200. He told her that she should reimburse him for the insurance. When she declined again, he demanded she choose to either pay him, be his girlfriend, or he’d tell her parents. He referred to her parents by their full legal names which she had never told him, which alarmed her. She contacted the RDP because she wanted him to be spoken to and be told to cease communication. RPD contacted him and he confirmed the story. He was advised that should he try to contact the resident or her parents again, complaints would be made against him.

Tuesday, April 16th - Suspicious Incident, Vanderburgh Ave

A 48 year old male notified RPD that he received a threatening phone call in which a male party stated “You are going to die tomorrow. I am going to kill you.” The caller did not recognize the voice and upon call back received a busy tone. The resident did not take the threat seriously. RPD investigated and found it to be a “spoof” number, which is when a phone number is disguised and therefore untraceable.