Drugs Found Inside Stolen Car, 2 Charged In Basking Ridge

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Two people were arrested after police say they found them driving a stolen car with drugs inside.

On March 6, Bernards Township Police Officer Dean Hogan was patrolling the area of Mt Airy Rd when he received an alert through the township’s Flock camera system that a stolen vehicle was currently driving in the area of Mt. Airy Rd.

Hogan found the stolen vehicle and conducted a motor vehicle stop.

The driver, Victor Jamie Flores, 28, of Colorado, and the passenger, Giomarlis Salas Faudito, 27, of Colorado, were placed under arrest, according to the blotter.

A search warrant was obtained, and a search of the vehicle yielded narcotics and other illegal paraphernalia.

Both parties were charged with several indictable crimes and were taken to the county jail.

Other Bernards Township Police Department(BTPD) blotter items for the month of March:

During the above timeframe, BTPD officers responded to 25 motor vehicle crashes. There were three injuries reported, and eight motor vehicle summonses were issued.

On March 8: Patrol responded to the area of Constitution Way on a report of a scam. The reporting party told police that he received a fraudulent call pretending to be Chase Bank. The victim stated they were directed to withdraw all the money from their account and deposit it into another account. Once the caller had done this, they realized it was a scam and had Chase Bank freeze the fraudulent account. This incident is currently being investigated by the detective bureau.

On March 10: Patrol responded to the area of Mine Brook Rd for a report of property damage. The reporting party showed patrol their damaged mailbox was lying on the ground in front of their home. The homeowners stated they found vehicle debris near their mailbox, specifically belonging to a Dodge Ram pickup truck.

On March 10: Patrol responded to the Walgreens inside the Lyons Mall for a report of shoplifting. The actor, who was described as a Hispanic man wearing dark-frame glasses, a NY Yankees knit hat, a black Ozark Trail Jacket, and dark blue pants, entered the store, concealed merchandise, and then left without paying for it. Patrol searched the area for the above-described man, yielding negative results.

On March 10: Officer Lopez was patrolling the area of South Finley Ave when he saw a silver Ford Mustang with several equipment violations. Lopez conducted a motor vehicle stop and was met with the vehicle's driver and front seat passenger, Angel Araujo Vidal, 24 out of Lyndhurst. After a short investigation Vidal was found to have a warrant out of Nutley. Vidal was placed under arrest and brought back to headquarters for processing. Nutley Police was contacted and came to headquarters to take custody of Vidal.

On March 19: Patrol responded to the area of Monarch Circle for a missing autistic juvenile. After speaking with the reporting parties, police with the help of Long Hill Township and Warren Township were able to locate the juvenile unharmed and reunite them with their family.

On March 20: Patrol responded to the area of King George Road for an illegal dumping complaint. Patrol met with the complainant and saw several trash items and several garbage bags consistent with some type of home remodeling.

On March 25: Officer Dean Hogan was patrolling the area of Martinsville Road when he received a
stolen vehicle alert through the township’s FLOCK camera system. Hogan was alerted of a stolen Volkswagen in the area of Martinsville Road. Hogan was able to locate the vehicle and tried to pull the vehicle over. The Volkswagen began to flee at a high rate of speed. Hogan pursued the vehicle out of Bernards Township onto Interstate 78, then onto Interstate 287. The pursuit was later terminated.

On March 27: Sgt. Gizienski was patrolling the area of the Riverwalk Mall when he saw a black Mercedes-Benz with several equipment violations. Gizienski conducted a motor vehicle stop and was met with the driver and owner, Jeremy Reed, 34, of Highland Park. Reed was found to have an active warrant out of Passaic County for his arrest for nonpayment of child support. Reed was placed under arrest and brought back to headquarters for processing. The Passaic County Sheriff was contacted and took custody of Reed.

On March 27: Patrol responded to the area of South Alward Ave for a reported theft. The reporting party stated she had a black A frame style lawn sign that is now missing. The reporting party stated she last saw the sign on March 26 on her property.

"The Bernard’s Township Police would like to continue to remind everyone to report suspicious activity observed by calling 908-766-1122. Please keep vehicles locked, without the keys in them and valuables out of sight. Please confirm all suspicious calls/emails/texts/messages requesting monetary payments with law enforcement or banking officials before sending funds."

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