Hopatcong Man Caught Shooting Heroin In Mall Bathroom: Police

HOPATCONG, NJ— A Hopatcong man was arrested by Wayne Police after they found him shooting heroin in a Lord and Taylor bathroom, police said.

Michael Liska, 24, of Hopatcong, allegedly shot heroin in the bathroom of the Lord and Taylor at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne just before 2 p.m. on Jan. 11.

He was with Jessie Simunovich, 23, of North Caldwell, who is banned from Willowbrook Mall for previous criminal incidents, police said. Officers were originally responding to a defiant trespassing report when they spotted the pair entering the bathroom.

Liska fled on foot, leading officers on a chase through the department store, knocking over clothes racks as he went, police said. He was arrested inside the mall itself.

Police say they found an assort of drugs and paraphernalia on Liska: 17 glassine bags of suspected heroin stamped “GOLD MIND,” three small black cylinders containing crack cocaine, one bag containing suspected marijuana, three capped hypodermic needles, one hypodermic needle “loaded” with a brown liquid suspected to be heroin.

Liska was charged with resisting arrest and possession of cocaine, heroin, drug paraphernalia, and hypodermic needles.

Simunovich was arrested in the bathroom without incident, and charged with defiant trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Image via Shutterstock, Wayne Police