According to Deputy Chief Jeffrey Fulcher, North Bergen police alerted Weehawken police about the chase over the State Police Emergency Network (SPEN). The North Bergen police said they were in pursuit of a stolen 2003 Nissan, and that one of the passengers in the Nissan was wanted for allegedly attempting to run down a North Bergen police officer.
"We also received word that one of the actors was wanted for the use of a stolen credit card," Fulcher said.
Fulcher said that the pursuit wound through North Bergen, West New York, and Union City, and made its way through Weehawken, where the pursuit was picked up by Weehawken police vehicles.
"The stolen car [allegedly] rammed a North Bergen unit in Weehawken on Dodd and Hudson," Fulcher said. "It also [allegedly] collided with a Weehawken unit as well, causing injuries to two officers, one from Weehawken, one from North Bergen."
The North Bergen officer was not identified, but the Weehawken police officer, Sgt. John Johnson, was treated and released from Palisades Medical Center. He was not seriously injured.
The North Bergen radio car was demolished in the crash. Three other North Bergen units were damaged in the pursuit.
After the crash, the people in the vehicle, one male and one female, allegedly took off from the site and were apprehended by two Weehawken police, Capt. Thomas Earl and Det. Iggy Motolo.
The arrested male was 27-year-old Ozan Karayel of Paramus, who was charged with aggravated assault of a police officer, eluding police, possession of stolen property (the vehicle), and numerous other charges, including drug possession.
"Our officers did a search of the vehicle and they found drug syringes in the vehicle," Fulcher said.
The woman was 19-year-old Jessica Ann Moccia of Holmdel, and she was charged with drug possession.
Karayel remained in Hudson County Jail, because he was allegedly out on bail for other previous charges.
"It was a good arrest," Fulcher said. "It was a great cooperative effort of all of the police agencies involved."
Possession of a dangerous handgun
In the early morning hours of Feb. 5, Weehawken police arrested a 22-year-old North Bergen male and charged him with the illegal possession of a firearm, in this case a Baretta 92F complete with a 15-round magazine of ammunition.
The arrested male, Eric Fernandez of North Bergen, was parked in a 1994 Mazda on Hamilton Avenue, a site where Weehawken police say they notice a lot of loitering and drinking in vehicles.
Officers Juan Mejia and Jason Vion approached the vehicle and noticed what they said was suspicious behavior.
"They came upon Mr. Fernandez, and he tried to duck down away from them when they approached the car," Fulcher said. "So that raised more suspicions. He also [allegedly] made a movement to hide something in the seat. He then [allegedly] admitted to the officers that he had a weapon in the car."
Fernandez was apprehended and booked. No bail information was available.
Strange theft of cast-iron radiator
On Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m., Weehawken police responded to a call at the side yard of a Columbia Terrace residence, where a 250-pound cast iron radiator was removed from the yard.
"Apparently, there were two men with a truck who told neighbors that they were sent to retrieve the radiator," Fulcher said. "But as it turned out, no one sent them. They picked up the radiator and left."
Fulcher said that the radiator was visible in the yard for a few days while some construction work was going on inside the residence.
"We got a good description of the two men and the truck they left with," said Fulcher, who said the investigation into the theft of the radiator was ongoing.
Failure to take Breathalyzer
There were two Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrests in the last two weeks, with both suspects declining to take the mandatory Breathalyzer tests.
On Feb. 2 at 2 a.m. on Boulevard East, Letitia Orsini, 37, of Highland Park, was spotted by police officer Augusto Same allegedly driving a 1998 Suzuki erratically and going through a traffic signal.
"She was stopped for the traffic infractions, and then officer Same noticed that she was [allegedly] under the influence," Fulcher said. "She [allegedly] refused the Breathalyzer and was arrested."
Orsini was charged with driving under the influence, as well as running the a light and driving erratically. The car was impounded and Orsini faces a date in Weehawken Municipal Court.
The second DUI took place on Feb. 13 at 3 a.m. when police officer Frank Mezzina allegedly witnessed a 2004 Mazda being operated erratically at the intersection of the South Marginal Highway and Boulevard East.
Dominic Hanard, 33, of Coral Springs, Fla. was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, but Hanard also allegedly refused to take the Breathalyzer. His car, which had Florida license plates, was also impounded, and he faces a date in Weehawken Municipal Court.
Stolen at the bank counter
A Cliffside Park woman reported to Weehawken police that her purse was stolen off the counter of the bank located inside the Pathmark supermarket in the Tower Shopping Plaza on Park Avenue. The theft took place on Feb. 5 at 1:15 p.m.
The woman claimed that her purse contained $200 in cash and personal identification.
Theft of medications
On Feb. 1, a delivery van making deliveries to the Pathmark in the Tower Shopping Plaza reported to Weehawken police that someone broke into the 1996 Dodge van and removed several sealed containers of medications that were being delivered to the store.
The contents of the medications were not known and the size of the containers was not identified, nor was the face value of the medication. But Fulcher said that the theft had to be reported to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Another GPS job
A 2002 Jeep that was parked on Boulevard East was broken into sometime between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, and a geographical positioning system (GPS) was allegedly removed from the dashboard. The passenger side window was broken to gain entrance.
Two Hondas stolen
Two Hondas, which are prime targets for thieves because of their parts, were stolen off Weehawken streets recently.
Sometime between Jan. 25 and 27, a 2000 Honda was removed from Bellevue Street. Also, sometime between Feb. 5 and 7, a 2000 Honda was taken off Potter Place. Neither vehicle has been recovered. Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com
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