Nutley Cops Nab Alleged Purse Snatcher: Chief Bemoans Lack Of Officers

NUTLEY, NJ — Nutley police arrested a Mahwah man who allegedly robbed a 67-year-old grandmother on Friday evening, authorities said.

According to the Nutley Police Department, officers responded to St. Mary’s Place around midnight on a report of a robbery. On scene, the 67-year-old female victim told officers that a man dressed in all black “attacked” her from behind and grabbed her purse from around her arm.

The man then fled in a dark-colored SUV, the woman told police.

According to authorities, with the assistance of the victim’s wireless carrier, Nutley police were able to locate the victim’s cell phone in a Walgreens Parking lot on Main Street in Clifton. Nutley and Clifton Police then converged on that location, where they found Anthony Randazzo, 31, of Mahwah, behind the wheel of a 2003 Chevy Envoy that was reported stolen out of Fairlawn.

On scene, officers saw the victim’s purse and identification on the front seat, and when they called the woman’s phone it rang from within the vehicle, authorities said.

Randazzo was arrested and charged with 2nd degree robbery, possession of CDS and paraphernalia. He was transported to Essex County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail.

“Having fewer police then surrounding communities is catching up to us,” Nutley Police Director Alphonse Petracco stated in a news release about the incident. “The next few years, I am committed to adding more police to our department in an effort to ensure there are more officers on the street keeping everyone safe.”