Men Arrested at Hartford PD After Asking to Buy Cocaine

HARTFORD, CT — A pair of men from Cromwell were arrested early Sunday morning after asking an off-duty Hartford police officer if he would sell them some cocaine.

Around 2:15 a.m., an unidentified officer had just finished his shift and was walking toward his personal vehicle after exiting the police department when he was approached by the two men, who stated they wanted to "buy coke" and asked if he would sell some to them. They then said they needed to go to an ATM to retrieve cash to pay for the drugs, police said.

The officer told the men there was an ATM in the lobby of the police department building, which they then used to withdraw $60 to pay for the cocaine. They were arrested without incident, police said.

Noah Yankowski, 21, and Zachary Pillarella, 21, were each charged with possession of narcotics, and released after posting $5,000 bonds.

Patch file photo