Police Blotter: 81-Year-Old Man Foils Robbery Attempt

May 14: Cedar Grove police arrested 61-year-old Michael A. Zink of Glen Ridge at 10:52 a.m. for driving an uninsured car with a suspended registration. He was released pending a municipal court appearance and his car was impounded.

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May 15: Cedar Grove police are investigating the theft of loose change and a gold chain overnight from a pair of cars on Bergen Drive. The Little Falls Police Department has experienced similar incidents during the same time period that may be related. One of the Little Falls victims captured images of a suspect described as a young white man entering his car on a home surveillance video system. Both police departments are conducting a follow-up investigation into the matter and are advising residents to lock and set the alarm on their cars. 

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May 15: At 8:15 p.m., Cedar Grove police investigated a car-deer accident on Grove Avenue near West Bradford Avenue that resulted in front-end damage to a 2003 Cadillac. The car was travelling south on Grove Avenue when the deer ran into the roadway. Following the accident, the deer ran into a wooded area. 

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May 16: Cedar Grove police arrested 44-year-old Michael M. Hamboussi of Brooklyn on drug and weapons charges after police stopped to investigate a car parked in the Canfield Office Park lot at 11:30 p.m.

While investigating why the car was there, the officer approached the car and smelled and saw marijuana on Hamboussi’s lap.

Hamboussi was arrested for marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a weapon — a billyclub. He was processed and released pending a Superior Court arraignment on Thursday in Newark.

In addition, Hamboussi’s 2005 Honda was impounded after it was discovered the car was uninsured and had a suspended New York registration.

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May 18: An 81-year-old man who was approached by three men offering to do roof repair work on his home, told police he later found two of the men rummaging through his belongings. 

The 81-year-old man appeared to be the victim of an attempted robbery, but may have thwarted the two men when he confronted them in his bedroom and livingroom.

According to police, a man, identifying himself as Bob from Lyndhurst, showed up at the home with two other men and offered to fix the shingles on the man’s roof for $100. While discussing the potential repair work in the kitchen with this man, the two other men remained outside.

A short time later, the homeowner heard noise coming from a first-floor bedroom and went to investigate. He discovered one of the men who remained outside was in the bedroom rummaging through a dresser.

The homeowner then ordered the second man to leave his home. When the homeowner returned looking for the man in the kitchen, he found the man in his living room looking through his items.

The homeowner then ordered both men out of the house and they left, entering what he described as a white contractor-type minivan with a ladder rack and lettering saying Handyman on each side of the minivan. The lettering was described as being blue lettering with red accenting.

The homeowner told police the men were all white and wore work-style clothing.

Nothing was reported missing from the home.         

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May 19: Cedar Grove police arrested 25-year-old Matthew R. Kistner of Belleville for driving while intoxicated at 2:37 a.m. after he was stopped for driving erratically and police smelled alcohol on his breath. Police administered sobriety tests prior to his arrest. Kistner was processed at police headquarters and released pending a municipal court appearance. 

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May 19: Cedar Grove police arrested 46-year-old Donnell Smith of Newark for at 12:59 p.m. when he tried to obtain a controlled dangerous substance with a fake prescription from the CVS Pharmacy at 387 Pompton Ave.

Smith was processed at police headquarters and released pending a Superior Court arraignment in Newark on Thursday. 

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 May 21: Cedar Grove police arrested 23-year-old George H. Colon of Ridgewood after a traffic stop for driving with a suspended license at 1:17 a.m. He was processed and released pending a municipal court appearance.