Police Blotter: Vehicles Burglarized, Woman Assaulted

Burglaries

Lawrence Township police are working to identify four young men who are believed to have burglarized three vehicles in the Lawrence Square Village apartment complex during the early hours of Saturday, June 4, according to Lt. Charles Edgar, spokesman for Lawrence Township Police Department.

It was 2:52 a.m. when police received a call from a 35-year-old resident of the complex. The man told police he had just arrived home and spotted what appeared to be a group of young men trying to open the doors of various vehicles parked on Feiler Court, Edgar said.

As he was walking toward his apartment building, getting a closer look at the group, the man saw that one of the young men had gotten inside a 2006 Toyota Highlander, Edgar said. He said the man decided to confront the group and asked them what they were doing. One of the young men “gave an excuse” and then all four of them hurried toward a waiting vehicle that then sped away, he said.

The suspects were described as black males all 16 to 20 years old. One had a medium build, with black hair, wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Another had brown hair and was 5 feet 8 to 10 inches tall. The third had a “heavier” build and bald head, and was about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall and 200 to 225 pounds. And the last had black hair with a medium build, and was about 5 feet 5 or 6 inches tall and 130 to 140 pounds.

Police contacted the Highlander’s 37-year-old owner. While the vehicle had been “rummaged through,” nothing seemed to be missing, the woman told police. No forced entry had been made, as the woman had left the vehicle unlocked.

Later that day, two other residents of the complex called police to report that their vehicles had been burglarized: at 8:35 a.m., Edgar said, a man reported that his wallet and a laptop computer had been stolen from his vehicle, which he had left unlocked in a parking space on Feiler Court; and at 1:18 p.m. a 38-year-old woman reported that her iPod and sunglasses – worth a total of $300 – had been stolen from her vehicle on Wosniak Court, he said.      

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Drug Arrest

Daniel K. Nowak, 24, of the 100 block of Harmony Avenue in Lawrence Township, was arrested early in the morning on Saturday, June 4, and charged with possession of marijuana, according to Edgar.

Officer Chris DiMeglio stopped the vehicle being driven by Nowak for a routine traffic violation shortly before 2 a.m. in the 1700 block of Brunswick Pike, Edgar said. While interviewing Nowak, he said, DiMeglio allegedly smelled an odor of alcohol and asked Nowak to step out of the vehicle to undergo a field sobriety test.

As Nowak exited the vehicle, DiMeglio allegedly spotted a quantity of marijuana in plain view in the car, Edgar said. He said Nowak – who, it was later determined, was not impaired by alcohol – was arrested and charged in connection with the marijuana. Nowak was also tickets for three traffic violations.

Nowak’s passenger, Whitney Bodnar, 21, from the 1800 block of Brunswick Pike in Lawrence Township, was issued a ticket for not wearing her seat belt and was taken into custody because she was wanted in connection with an outstanding $800 warrant from West Windsor, according to Edgar.

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Aggravated Assault

Detective William Chester is investigating an incident in which a 21-year-old Hamilton Township woman was “jumped” and beaten by three other woman at the Red Roof Inn in the 3200 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) during the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, June 4, Edgar said.

He said police were notified of the incident at 4:55 a.m. after the victim went to St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton to receive treatment for numerous cuts and bruises she had suffered to her face and body.

Edgar said suspects in the assault are three women with whom the victim got into an “altercation” earlier in the night while attending a night club in New Brunswick. The victim told police she believes the three women followed her back to the hotel, where she had rented a room for the night, he said.

The victim said the women attacked her in a hallway and in her hotel room, Edgar said.

One of the female suspects was described as a black with short “reddish-purple” hair, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and 110 pounds. The second woman was black, with black hair worn in a ponytail, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 180 pounds. And the third woman was white, with curly brown hair, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and 130 pounds.

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Robbery

Vanessa A. Davis, 45, of Lindenwold was arrested on Sunday, June 5, and charged with robbery, shoplifting and simple assault following an incident that allegedly took place at the J.C. Penney department store at Quaker Bridge Mall in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1), Edgar said.

He said Davis allegedly left the store with seven pieces of stolen jewelry – worth a total of $668 – concealed in a bag she was carrying. Store loss prevention officials followed and confronted her. She allegedly handed over the bag containing the stolen jewelry and then tried to walk away, he said.

There was a brief scuffle when a store employee went to detain the woman, Edgar said. During the scuffle, he said, Davis allegedly grabbed the 31-year-old loss prevention official on the right side of his abdomen, “causing pain and injury.”

Davis was restrained by the store employee until Officer James Smith arrived to take her into custody, Edgar said.

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“Click It or Ticket”

During the 2011 “Click It or Ticket” campaign, held between May 23 and June 5, Lawrence Township police issued 743 tickets to motorists and their passengers who failed to wear seat belts, Edgar said, noting that additional summonses were also handed out for other traffic law violations.

“The objective is to promote awareness about wearing your seat belt,” he said. “Seat belts have been shown to save lives in motor vehicle accidents.”

While all on-duty members of the police department took part in the campaign and kept a watch for seat belt violations, Edgar said the department received a $4,000 grant to pay the overtime costs for officers who were specifically assigned to enforce seat belt laws at “high accident locations” and other busy intersections and roads in town.  

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Criminal Mischief

At 12:54 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, Officer Kelly Longo was sent to the office of Marshall and Swift Inc. on Lawrence Square Boulevard South to investigate an act of vandalism in which someone broke a window with a rock and wrote graffiti in black marker on an exterior door, Edgar said, noting that damage was estimated at about $800.

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Hindering Apprehension

The 1996 Honda being driven by Jose Antonio Perez, 28, of the 100 block of Cummings Avenue in Trenton, was stopped by Sgt. Chris Longo in the 3300 block of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) shortly before 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, after Longo allegedly spotted a young child riding unrestrained and sitting on the lap of a rear passenger, according to Edgar.

Perez allegedly denied having his driver’s license or any identification on him and provided Longo with a false name, Edgar said. After Perez’s alleged lie was uncovered and his true identity determined, Edgar said, Perez was charged with hindering apprehension. Perez also received five tickets for traffic violations, including one for his not having the child riding in a proper safety seat, he said. 

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Disorderly Conduct

Quaymere Lynch, 18, of the 100 block of Cleveland Avenue in Trenton, and Calvin R. Bowser Jr., 18, of the 600 block of Parkway Avenue in Trenton, were arrested about 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, and charged with disorderly conduct after they allegedly became “loud, boisterous and uncooperative” in the area of the bus port at Quaker Bridge Mall while they were being questioned by police and mall security, Edgar said.

He explained that the men were being questioned in reference to a possible shoplifting at Cohen’s Fashion Optical. As it turned out, police determined that no shoplifting had occurred, but the men’s alleged uncooperative behavior created such a disturbance that they were taken into custody by Sgt. Chris Longo.  

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Shoplifting

Two 15-year-old female cousins from Trenton were arrested at about 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, after they allegedly stole merchandise from the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said.

One of the girls allegedly stole $182 worth of merchandise, while the other is accused of taking $171 worth of property, he said. He said they allegedly hid the merchandise in bags they were carrying while inside fitting rooms in the store.

After they left the store without paying, Edgar said, they were followed by store loss prevention officials and detained until Sgt. Chris Longo arrived. The girls were each charged with shoplifting  

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Burglary

Three bicycles worth a total of $300 were stolen from a shed behind a home on Mulberry Street sometime between June 2 and June 5, Edgar said. He said the burglar cut a lock on a gate to gain entry to the shed. Residents of the property called police at 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, to report the crime.

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Shoplifting

Norma M. Menendez, 40, of the 200 block of Fairway Drive in Trenton, was arrested about 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, after she allegedly stole $33 worth of jewelry from the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. Menendez allegedly hid the jewelry in her purse and then left the store without paying, he said. She was followed and detained by store loss prevention officials and later charged with shoplifting by Officer Thomas Chianese.

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Recovered Property 

Officer James Smith was driving along Interstate 95 about 9 a.m. on Monday, June 6, when the LoJack security system equipment in his police vehicle began to pick up the transponder signal from a 1999 Lexus that had been reported stolen from Trenton on June 3, Edgar said.

He said Smith, aided by other officers, triangulated the signal and soon located the vehicle in the parking lot of one of the buildings at the Princeton Pike Office Park in the 3100 block of Princeton Pike.

As police investigated, however, they determined that the vehicle had never actually been stolen. The owner, a 37-year-old man, had driven the vehicle to the office park on June 3 and while there had suffered a “medical emergency,” Edgar said. The man was driven home by a friend. He said the man later had no memory of the incident or of driving to Lawrence Township, so when he could not find his car at home he reported it stolen to Trenton police.

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Criminal Mischief

Officer Chris Schuster is investigating who smashed the rear passenger’s side window of a 2008 Ford Escape belonging to a 48-year-old Lawrence Township woman. The crime happened in the parking lot in front of the Acme supermarket at the Lawrence Shopping Center in the 2400 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1), Edgar said, noting that the woman called police to report the crime at 5:05 p.m. on Monday, June 6.

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Shoplifting

A 15-year-old girl from Hamilton Township was arrested about 6:05 p.m. on Monday, June 6, after she allegedly stole a pair of $10 earrings from the J.C. Penney store at Quaker Bridge Mall, Edgar said. He said the girl allegedly hid the earrings in her right hand and walked out of the store without paying. She was detained by a store loss prevention official and then charged with shoplifting by Officer Thomas Chianese.

Anyone with information about any of the above crimes is asked to call Lawrence Township police at (609) 896-1111.

 A copy of Lawrence Township's police dispatch log for Saturday, June 4, through Monday, June 6, 2011, can be viewed from the PDF box above. This log lists all significant calls for service and incidents for which officers filed a written report. Routine administrative assignments are omitted. Some data has been redacted to protect the identity of crime victims.