See Crimes From January & February: Berkeley Police Blotter

BERKELEY, NJ — Catalytic converter thefts, DWIs and a gas leak are among the incidents that Berkeley police responded to in January and February.

The police department recently shared their blotter outlining incidents from Jan. 1 through Feb. 29.

Shared by police and unedited by Patch, here is the Berkeley Township Police Department blotter for January and February.

Shoplifting (Arrest) – On January 3, 2024, Patrolman Michael Sasso, Patrolman Shane Leighton, Patrolman Robert Murawski, Patrolman Shawn Lightbody, Sgt. Robert Flanegan and Sgt. Tim Pizzella responded to 431 Rt.9 (Shoprite) for a report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival it was learned that two males had pushed a cart of groceries out of the store without being paid for. Video footage was obtained. The total for the unpaid items was $254.29. Upon further investigation Matthew Banks, 34, of Bayville and Miles Banks, 36, of Toms River, were arrested and transported to police headquarters where they were processed and charged with Shoplifting. Miles Banks was found to have an outstanding warrant out of Berkeley Township for $2000.00 and $650.00 out of Lacey Township. Both Miles and Matthew Banks were remanded to the Ocean County Jail.

CDS (Arrest) – On January 10, 2024, Patrolman Patrick Davis, Patrolman Christopher Walters and Patrolman Chris Schick responded to the area of Charlottesville Dr. for a report of a male slumped over the wheel of a vehicle. Upon arrival a blue pickup truck was observed at the intersection with an unconscious male behind the wheel. The vehicle was in drive and patrol was able to safely remove the driver and secure the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle, Glenn Mattison, 63, of Berkeley Township, was found to be driving under the influence. Upon further investigation CDS and Paraphernalia were found in the vehicle. Mattison was arrested and transported to police headquarters where he was processed and charged with Driving under the Influence, Possession of CDS in a Motor Vehicle, Possession of CDS, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unregistered Vehicle. Mattison’s vehicle was impounded in accordance with John’s Law. Mattison was released pending a future court date.

Warrant (Arrest) – On January 17, 2024, Patrolman Michael Sasso responded to the Toms River Police Department for a Warrant arrest out of our jurisdiction. Upon arrival Jay Bates, 39, of Egg Harbor, was taken into custody for an outstanding Warrant for $2000 for Failure to Appear. Bates was remanded to the Ocean County Jail without incident.

Shoplifting (Arrest) – On January 25, 2024, Patrolman Shawn Lightbody and Patrolman Brian Flanegan responded to the area of 431 Rt.9 (Shoprite) for a report of shoplifters. Upon arrival, patrol made contact with the manager who advised that a male attempted to leave the store with $574.66 worth of groceries he didn’t pay for. Video footage was obtained. Upon further investigation it was discovered that 2 other suspects assisted in the shoplifting crime. Alonzo Johnson, 62, of Bayville and Peggy Saunders, 63, of Bayville, were transported to police headquarters where they were processed and charged with Shoplifting. Johnson and Saunders where released pending a future court date. A warrant was issued for the third suspect.

DWI (Arrest) –On January 26, 2024, Patrolman Richard Zieser responded to the area of Northern Blvd. for a report of a hit and run. A tan colored sedan struck a mailbox at a high rate of speed and fled the scene. A second call came in reporting a male slumped behind the wheel in a vehicle fitting that description near the area of Vanderbilt Ave. Sgt. Michael O’Connor arrived on scene to assist. The male was unresponsive and contact was not able to be made. Forced entry was made into the vehicle and the male was pulled from the vehicle. Lifesaving measures were taken and Narcan was administered. The male regained consciousness.
The male was identified as Richard Englebrook, 36, of Beachwood. Englebrook was transported to Community Medical Center for further treatment. Patrolman Nick Bondulich arrived on scene to assist with transport. Englebrook was charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving, Unregistered Vehicle, Leaving the Scene of an Accident and Failure to Report an Accident. Englebrook’s vehicle was impounded in accordance with John’s Law. Englebrook was released pending a future court date.

MVA – On January 30, 2024, Patrolman Michael Bulwinski, Patrolman Joseph Chester, Patrolman Evan Burton, Sgt. Tim Pizzella, Patrolman Ryan Drivanos and Patrolman Alex Houle all responded to the area of Chelsea Ave. for a report of a motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival it was discovered that a gray 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe had ran off the roadway into the Mill Creek waterway. Berkeley EMT’s, Bayville Fire Department Station 17 and NJSP arrived on scene to assist. The water rescue team was deployed and was able to pull the driver out of her vehicle safely. Upon further investigation it was learned that the driver of the vehicle had suffered a medical episode and was transported to CMC for evaluation. The NJSP was able to remove the submerged vehicle from the waterway without incident.

Warrant (Arrest) – On February 1, 2024, Patrolman Brian Flanagen responded to Little Egg Harbor Police Department for a warrant arrest. Richard Moores had an outstanding warrant out of Berkeley Township for $1000 for a traffic offense. Moores was arrested and remanded to OCJ without incident.

DWI (Arrest) – On February 2, 2024, Patrolman Steven Scaturro conducted a motor vehicle stop for speeding near the area of Charlotteville Dr. on a silver Toyota pickup truck. Sgt. Taylor Butler and Patrolman Shawn Lightbody arrived on scene to assist. The driver of the vehicle, John Whartenby, 49, of Berkeley, was found to be driving under the influence. Whartenby was arrested and transported to police headquarters where he was processed and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving, Careless Driving, Disregard of Official Traffic Control Device, Failure to Give Proper Signal and Failure to Stop or Yield. Whartenby’s vehicle was impounded in accordance with John’s Law. Upon further investigation it was discovered that Whartenby had an outstanding warrant from Boonton Police Department for $1000.00 for Forgery. Whartenby was taken into custody by Boonton Police.

DWI (Arrest) – On February 2, 2024, Patrolman Ryan Wahl conducted a motor vehicle stop on a silver SUV near the area of Sloop Creek Rd. The SUV had crossed over the center line and almost struck the patrol vehicle. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the driver of the vehicle, Teresa Callas, 44, of Berkeley Township, had been driving while intoxicated. Callas was arrested and transported to police headquarters where she was processed and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Failure to Maintain Lane, Reckless Driving, Careless Driving, Open Container of Alcoholic Beverage in Vehicle and Refusal to Submit Breath Samples. Callas’ vehicle was impounded in accordance with Johns Law, Callas was released pending a future court date.

DWI (Arrest) – On February 8, 2024, Patrolman Josh Foca conducted a motor vehicle stop on a 2015 black Nissan Altima near the area of 125 Rt.9. The vehicle was swerving and was unable to maintain the lane. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Maricruz Jimenez-Montes, 22, of Bayville. Upon further investigation it was learned that Jimenez-Montes was driving under the influence. Jimenez-Montes was arrested and transported to police headquarters where she was processed and charged with Driving While Intoxicated and Failure to Maintain Lane. Jimenez-Montes’ vehicle was impounded in accordance with Johns Law. Montes was released pending a future court date.

Gas Leak – On February 11, 2024, Patrolman Evan Sicknick responded to the area of Overview Ct. for a report of a gas leak. Upon arrival a very strong odor of gas was present. NJNG, Patrolman Michael Gallicchio, Berkeley Fire Department and The Berkeley Township Fire Chief arrived on scene to assist. Residents were evacuated from the apartment building. EMT’s arrived on scene to assist. No residents were having any health issues and declined treatment. Upon further investigation it was learned that extremely high levels of natural gas were found inside the building. The building was vented by NJNG and all residents were able to return back to their apartments once the levels were normal. The cause of the leak was determined to be a gas burner which was left on inside an apartment.

Fire – On February 16, 2024, Patrolman David Summerton responded to the area of Northern Blvd. for a report of a compressor fire. Upon arrival the air compressor was fully engulfed, and all employees were evacuated from the building. No injuries were reported. Station 17 arrived and extinguished the fire. Detective Johnathan Mulvihill, Detective Derek Mayer, Berkeley Fire Official Fred Mitchel and the Ocean County Fire Marshall all arrived on scene to assist with the investigation. It was determined that the air compressor had leaked diesel fuel and oil. Berkeley Township Hazmat arrived on scene to assist with clean up. The Ocean County Health Department and DEP were contacted to check the nearby water tower for possible fuel contamination. Hazmat was able to contain contaminants before leaking into the well water. The air compressor was determined to be a complete loss.

Warrant (Arrest) – On February 22, 2024, Patrolman Steven Scaturro conducted a motor vehicle stop near the area of Scott Dr. on a gold Hyundai Sonata. Upon arrival It was discovered that the driver of the vehicle, Jessica Hovermale 41, of Berkeley Township, had an outstanding warrant out of Ocean County Sherrif’s Department. Hovermale was arrested and charged with the warrant arrest. Hovermale was remanded to OCJ without incident.

Theft – On February 26, 2024, Patrolman Kyle Slocum responded to the area of Roosevelt Ave. for several reports of catalytic converter thefts. Upon arrival it was discovered that 2 vehicles that were parked in the roadway had catalytic converters cut from them. A third vehicle was cut, but the actors were unsuccessful in removing it. Neighboring Towns reported multiple thefts and obtained video footage of a white BMW SUV in the area where the thefts occurred. These incidents are currently under investigation.

Fraud – On February 29, 2024, Patrolman Robert Murawski responded to the area of N Arlington Rd. for a Fraud report. Upon arrival the victim explained that she had received an email from the “Geek Squad” stating that she had been charged $800 for a 2-year subscription. The victim contacted the phone number on the email explaining that she wanted to cancel the subscription. The “Geek Squad” representative cancelled her subscription and deposited $8000 instead of $800 into her bank account. He told her he did this by accident and asked if she could return the money via a bitcoin ATM. The victim proceeded to do so. This incident is currently under investigation. Berkeley Township Police remind residents to never give out personal account information. If you think you have been scammed, please contact the Federal Trade Commission 1-877-382-4357 or online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.