Wild Few Days: Armed Robbery, Burglaries, Public Urination

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, at about 11:10 p.m., an armed robbery was reported on Madison Avenue.

A woman said she was walking home at about 10:50 p.m. when she noticed that a silver car seemed to be following her. When she turned around, she noticed two black men approaching her. The victim described one of the suspects as being about six feet tall with dreadlocks and wearing a red-colored hooded sweatshirt with a black bandana covering his face. The other suspect was shorter, with curly hair and wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, with a black bandana also covering his face.

The victim asked the men what they were doing, and the taller one responded by pointing a handgun at her and demanding all of her money. The shorter one then emptied the victim’s pockets, stealing a debit card and $10 in cash. The debit card was later found on the sidewalk where the robbery took place. The make and model of the suspects' car, as well as the direction it was going, is unknown.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Charles Cunningham at (973) 509-4716.   

In addition, police handled a wide variety of other crimes the last few days, including a handful of burglaries and a public urination incident.

Also, just a note: A 20-year-old Montclair man named Edriss Crawley-Tate, charged in February with armed robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, has been exonerated of all crimes.

Violation of Town Ordinances

On Tuesday morning, Oct. 11, a possibly intoxicated man was caught urinating on the sidewalk in front of Lacordaire Academy near the corner of Lorraine Avenue and Park Street in Upper Montclair. Upon arrival, police located a man later identified as Claude White Jr. and observed him urinating. While speaking to White, police saw that he dropped a bottle of vodka to the ground.

White, 35, of Montclair, was issued summonses for violating township ordinances prohibiting urinating in public and possessing an open alcohol container in public.

Suspicious Activity

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, a suspicious person was reported in the backyard of a house on Curtis Terrace. The caller described the suspect as a young black man wearing a tan or gold fleece jacket and carrying a small black-colored knapsack. The caller said that the man was looking around the yard. When spotted by the caller, the man walked up the back deck and either knocked on the rear door or attempted to open it. He then walked to the front of the house, where the caller lost sight of him. Police checked the home and found it was secured.

Vandalism  

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, police received a report of vandalism to a multi-family home on Greenwood Avenue. The complainant told police that sometime between 8 a.m. and noon on that date, the front screen door to the property had been damaged. Police inspected the door and found that the moulding on the front of the screen door was loosened.

Robbery Arrest

Police have identified a 13-year-old Montclair juvenile they say was responsible for a pair of recent criminal acts involving teenagers. Police arrested the male on Oct. 12 and charged him with robbery, terroristic threats, and theft.

The events started on Sept. 16, when police received a report of a robbery that occurred on Sept. 13 in front of a convenience store on Watchung Avenue in Upper Montclair. The victim, an 11-year-old Upper Montclair male, said that he and another friend were in front of the store when they were approached by two males. The victim said that the first suspect demanded money. When the victim stated that he did not have any money, the first suspect stated that he heard change in the victim’s pockets when the victim was walking. The victim stated that he was nervous and that the pair then surrendered four $1 bills and four quarters to the suspects before leaving the area.

Then, on Sept. 18, police received a report of a robbery that occurred on Bellevue Avenue in front of Tinga on Sept. 9. Two juvenile males said that they were with a friend in front of that location when they were approached by another juvenile. This juvenile, described as a black male between 14 and 15 years old with a black Mohawk and standing between 5’9” and 5’10” tall, told the group, “Give me money. I need money.” He then told the victims that he would not let them pass unless they gave him money, and then threatened to stab one of the victims in the back of the neck.

The suspect then picked up one of the victims and pushed him against a wall while checking the victim’s pockets for money. The suspect left the area after he realized that the victim had no money.

Burglary

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, a burglary was reported at Greenwood Avenue and Claremont Avenue. Upon arrival, police spoke with witnesses, who said that they were in the area when they saw a person crouched down in the doorway of a Greenwood Avenue business, a hair salon called Salon Femi. They stated that the glass on the door was broken and the person had a computer under one arm and a cash register under the other.

One of the witnesses asked the person "What are you doing"? The person replied by stating that he was a friend of the owner. He then left the area quickly and was last seen on Greenwood Avenue.

It was also reported that a car traveling north on Greenwood Avenue during the time frame of the burglary. A witness said that the Jeep appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed and felt this was both coincidental and suspicious. This car was described as a dark-colored, possibly dark green, “boxy” Jeep Liberty or older model Jeep Cherokee.

The burglary suspect was described as a black man with a slender build, approximately thirty years old, approximately 6’0”-6’2”, clean shaven, with a short haircut. He was last seen wearing a light-gray hooded sweatshirt.   

Police later spoke to the owner of the business, who stated that an iMac, valued at $2,000, and an empty cash box, valued at $250, were stolen from the business.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Ray Gulbin at (973) 509-4739.

Burglary

A second burglary was reported on Oct. 12 at an apartment on Claremont Avenue. The victim told police that on that date between 8 a.m. and 10:35 p.m., someone had entered her apartment and stolen an Apple iMac computer, valued at approximately $1,200, from her office. Police reported that a window screen had been cut near where the computer had been located prior to the theft. There are no suspects at this time.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Charles Cunningham at (973) 509-4716.

Motor Vehicle Theft

On Thursday, Oct. 13, a car was reported stolen from Orange Road. The victim told police that she last saw her Jeep in her driveway on Oct. 12 at 9:30 PM and discovered it missing the next morning shortly before police responded. It is believed that the car may have been left unlocked prior to the theft.

On Oct. 14, Montclair Police received notification from members of the Newark Police Department that the car had been recovered in their jurisdiction. There are no suspects at this time.

Burglary

On Friday, Oct. 14, a burglary was reported at a multi-famly house on Greenwood Avenue. Upon arrival, police spoke to the resident, who reported that five minutes prior to the police's arrival, a person had entered his third-floor apartment via the unlocked fire escape door in the rear of the house. The complainant discovered the man, who appeared intoxicated. The complainant spoke to the suspect, who introduced himself to the victim and shook the victim’s hand. The suspect identified himself as a name that started with the letter "M" (possibly "Mark" or a similar sounding name), though the suspect was difficult to understand due to his intoxication and a possible accent. The victim went into another room to check on his family and called the police. When the victim returned to the kitchen, the suspect was gone. No items were reported as missing at the time of the report.

The suspect is described as a black or Middle Eastern man in his early thirties, thin build, clean shaven, with short hair that was balding on top. He was last seen wearing a dark green t-shirt and black pants.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact the Detective Bureau at (973) 509-7543.

Burglary Attempt

On Friday, Oct. 14, an attempted burlgary was reported at the Tapestry Restaurant on Church Street. Upon arrival, police were escorted to the rear of the building by an employee. There police saw that three siding panels and some foam insulation had been removed, with wood paneling visible underneath. The damage appeared to be an attempt to dismantle the wall in an attempt to gain entry to the building. It is unknown when exactly the damage occurred, but is believed to have been sometime after Sept. 29.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Lynn McCarthy at (973) 509-4725.