Hoboken Man Threatened Business Owner Who Wouldn't Buy Poker Table: Police

HOBOKEN, NJ — A Hoboken man was charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly threatened a business owner for refusing to buy a poker table, police said.

Richard Maldonado, 56, of Hoboken, was charged with aggravated assault, possession of weapons for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of weapons, making terroristic threats, and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

Police said that on April 15, approximately 8:25 p.m., Officers Daniel Barron and Alexander Miller were on Third Street near Madison Street when they saw two men in a verbal altercation.

They heard one of the men reference a knife and a stabbing, police said.

The officers separated the men.

"An on-scene investigation revealed that Maldonado went into the other man’s business on the 200 block of Madison Street and attempted to sell him a poker table," police said. "When the victim said he didn’t want to buy the table, Maldonado became irate and agitated and threw the table in front of the business. During an argument, Maldonado pointed a pocketknife at the victim."

After Maldonado was placed under arrest, police searched him and found "three metal push rods used to stuff a cylindrical glass pipe, commonly used to smoke CDS crack cocaine. Maldonado continued to yell at the victim in a threatening manner," police said.

Maldonado was taken to Hoboken Police Headquarters, charged, and then taken to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, police said.