Man Who Absconded From Parole Now Faces Federal Gun, Drug Charges

NEWBURGH, NY — Federal charges were filed Tuesday against a Newburgh man arrested by a city detectives Oct. 1.

Alberto Rivera was charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics, possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

"The community of Newburgh has faced its share of crime, and those who wish to live there peacefully don’t need another reminder of the long list of threats posed by illegal guns and drugs," said FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. in the announcement. "Rivera was already on parole for unrelated crimes, the conditions of which he was in violation on the night an on-duty detective noticed him while on patrol. In an effort to escape arrest, he allegedly tossed the backpack he was carrying, and the contents along with it, aside. Unfortunately for him, that’s not how this works. Federal charges don’t get tossed to the side, and the penalties they carry are usually pretty severe."

On Oct. 1, a police detective who was familiar with Rivera and knew he was wanted for absconding on parole, spotted him riding a bicycle on Broadway. When the detective stopped his vehicle in Rivera's path, the 25-year-old ran away, tossing a backpack.

The backpack contained a firearm and large quantity of narcotics, prosecutors allege.

The detective gave chase and caught up with Rivera in the backyard of a nearby pizzeria. Police recovered the backpack from the same backyard, prosecutors said.