Machete Assault, Fight At Passaic Co. Amazon Facility Leads To Arrests

WOODLAND PARK, NJ — Police arrested a man and his wife after a chaotic scene Tuesday morning outside an Amazon distribution facility in Woodland Park, and said the man assaulted someone with a machete.

Officers were first called to the facility at 1150 McBride Avenue at 6:49 a.m. Tuesday "on a report of an assault with a weapon in progress, specifically a machete," said Woodland Park Police in a statement.

Arriving officers saw people gathered in the parking lot, and some kind of disturbance as people were "yelling and running around," police added.

The Woodland Park officers began trying to de-escalate the disturbance and locate which person had the machete, as witnesses pointed to involved parties in the apparent fight. One person had minor injuries, and emergency medical personnel treated them on scene.

As the investigation unfolded, Totowa Police, Little Falls Police, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene. Officers reviewed cell phone video and identified Enyel Checourena as the suspect, police said.

Police also located the machete, which they determined was used in the assault, and arrested Checourena. He faces charges of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, officials said.

And as officers were attempting to arrest Checourena, police said his wife Taynara Andujarvizcano "charged at the arresting officer, pushed him and attempted to interfere." She was also arrested, per police.

Police said that the incident apparently started when two people in parked vehicles started arguing, leading to an altercation which escalated into the aggravated assault.