Drunk Wayne Man Crashes Stolen Car, Then Steals Bike As Getaway Vehicle: Police

WAYNE, NJ — Police arrested a drunk township man they said stole a vehicle, broke into three others and then stole a bicycle to use as a getaway vehicle after crashing the stolen vehicle, Monday morning, authorities said.

Michael J. Giaquinto, 25, was charged with two counts of motor vehicle theft and theft of moveable property, said Detective Capt. Laurence Martin.

Police responded to a Hunter Place house on a report from a resident who heard loud noise and noticed that the doors to three of vehicles were opened and the vehicles were ransacked, Martin said. The caller also said he saw a man walking away from his home toward Andover Drive, he said.

Cpl. Robert Feeney was dispatched to Valley Road and Rose Terrace a short distance away for a motor vehicle crash where the driver fled the scene on foot, the captain said.

Officer Anthony Bailey found Giaquinto riding a bike on Laauwe Avenue; Giaquinto had two large cuts on his forehead, his clothes were soaking wet, he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and he had a lot of loose change on him, Martin said. Giaquinto told police he was planning on going down the shore, he said.

Police gave Giaquinto a Alco-test, which showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.12, Martin said.

Giaquinto told police he was injured in the crash and picked the bike up from someone's house as he left the crash, Martin said. He also allegedly walked through the Hazen Court housing complex and broke into vehicles. The vehicle in the crash was stolen from Hazen Court, police said.

Giaquinto also had a marijuana pipe, cell phones, iPod adapters and headphones on him when police found him, the captain said.

Giaquinto also stole another vehicle from Hazen Court, but he struck a parked car that same morning at about 5:15 a.m. and fled the scene, police said. A Valley Road resident also said their vehicle was ransacked.

In addition to the theft charges, Giaquinto was charged with five counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license.

Giaquinto was slated to be released from police custody under the state's new bail reform guidelines, but Detective Anne Shivas contacted the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and have the charges filed against him placed on a warrant and requiring Giaquinto to be housed in the Passaic County Jail.

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Photo: Michael J. Giaquinto, 25 — Wayne Police Department