August 2026 Police Blotter

Assault

August 4, 2026 (Pine Street): The victim reported that he was standing on the corner of Glenridge Avenue and Pine Street when a vehicle pulled up next to him and asked him for money. When he told the operator that he had no money, the driver pulled out a canister of pepper spray and spayed the victim in his face and on his clothing. The suspect, described only as a female, drove off in an unknown direction.

Motor Vehicle Crime

August 8, 2026 (Bellevue Avenue): The complainant reported that he parked his 2026 Acura Integra in the rear of a Bellevue Avenue apartment building. He stated that he returned a month later and the vehicle was gone. There was no record of the vehicle being towed for any reason.

August 9, 2026 (Montclair Avenue): Officers responded to the area of Montclair Avenue and Columbus Avenue for an attempted motor vehicle theft. Upon arrival they observed an abandoned Kia Rio parked angled in the roadway. The vehicle had a damaged steering column. The registered owner, who resides on Montclair Avenue, was contacted and reported that she parked her vehicle in her driveway the previous evening. The vehicle was towed for processing.

Arrests

August 7, 2026 (Claremont Avenue): A 45-year-old male from Newark was charged with Shoplifting from CVS on Claremont Avenue.

August 8, 2026 (Valley Road): A 35-year-old female from Irvington was charged with Shoplifting from CVS on Valley Road.

Assault

August 12, 2026 (Bloomfield Avenue): Two females riding on a New Jersey Transit Bus became involved in a verbal dispute over the use of headphones. The argument eventually became physical on the bus in the area of Bloomfield Avenue and Lackawanna Plaza where the bus driver stopped and flagged down an officer. Both females were removed from the bus. Each female refused medical attention. One party eventually returned to the bus and the second party was transported to her apartment.

August 13, 2026 (Valley Road): At approximately 3:38 PM, Officers responded to the CVS Pharmacy at 565 Valley Road on a report of a physical dispute between a customer and an employee. The victim, a 29-year-old employee, reported that an individual who had previously been trespassed from the store was observed by employees entering CVS. The employee confronted the male and told him to leave. The suspect became irate and began attacking the employee and throwing store merchandise throughout the aisles before fleeing the scene.

The store employee sustained injuries to his face including bruising, a small laceration to his left eye and nose, and swollen lip. He was treated by Montclair EMS and transported to Mountainside Hospital. A customer of CVS was also treated by EMS after being struck in the head with a shampoo bottle. She refused further medical attention.

No items were reported stolen. A 25-year-old male from Newark was charged with two counts of Assault, Criminal Mischief, and Criminal Trespass.

August 15, 2026 (Grove Street): At approximately 7:53 PM MPD Officers responded to 111 Grove Street (Boschetto) on a report of a physical dispute. Responding officers located a group of individuals being separated. The preliminary on scene investigation revealed that a customer was displeased with his meal and entered the restaurant to demand a refund. A worker at the restaurant provided the customer with a refund, however the customer was still not satisfied and began causing a disturbance inside of the establishment. Staff requested that the customer leave the restaurant. While outside in the parking lot, a physical altercation took place among the customer and employee and was broken up by other staff members before police arrival. There were no injuries reported.

Burglary

August 13, 2026 (Inwood Avenue): Residents of Inwood Avenue reported that their home was entered between 1:35 PM and 3:00 PM. Entry into the home was possibly made through an unlocked rear door. Once inside, the suspect(s) rummaged through multiple bedroom drawers. At the time of the report, approximately $4600 in jewelry was reported missing.

Arrest

August 13, 2026 (South Fullerton Avenue): A 35-year-old male from Orange, New Jersey was charged with theft after stealing a bicycle from the Montclair Public Library

Theft

August 19, 2026 (Marquette Road): The complainant reported that he parked his electric bicycle in the rear of his residence at approximately 10:00 PM. He discovered it was missing the following day at approximately 6:00 PM. The charger for the bike was also missing. The E-Bike was described as red and black Enduro, valued at approximately $2000.00.

August 21, 2026 (Bloomfield Avenue): The complainant, who was operating a taxicab, reported that he picked up a cab fare in Nutley and transported the rider to Bloomfield Avenue and Grove Street. Upon arrival, the rider fled from the cab without paying the $50.00 fare. The suspect was described only as a white female carrying three large bags.

August 22, 2026 (Valley Road): The complainant reported that he locked his electric bicycle at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Centroverde Drive at 3:00 PM. When he returned at approximately 6:40 PM, he discovered that the lock had been cut and placed on the ground and the bicycle was missing. The e-bike was an OUXI and can be described as all black with an orange tip in the center of the handlebars and black mountain tires.

August 23, 2026 (South Fullerton Avenue): The victim reported that prior to parking her vehicle in the South Fullerton Parking Deck, she was approached by an individual who was claiming to be a parking attendant. The individual advised the victim that parking was $20.00 and requested the victim pay the parking toll via apple cash to a cell phone number. The victim made payment to the individual and ultimately received a summons from the parking authority. The suspect was described as a black male, 5'10 in height, medium build, wearing a black t-shirt and traffic vest.

Criminal Mischief

August 20, 2026 (North Fullerton Avenue): The caller reported observing two juvenile males spray painting “HAVE FUN 2026” on the sidewalk outside of the Watchung School Field. There was no description of the suspects other than they were riding electric scooters.

Motor Vehicle Crime

August 23, 2026 (Wilfred Avenue): The victims reported that two unlocked vehicles that were parked in the driveway were entered during the overnight hours. The victim was alerted to the theft the following morning after receiving notifications of declined transactions. Surveillance video depicts an unknown male with a thin build wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, white shoes, and gloves entering both vehicles at approximately 3:50 AM. A wallet was stolen. The transactions were attempted at several stores in Irvington, NJ.

Aggravated Assault

August 19, 2026 (South Park Street): Officers responded to the area of Bloomfield Avenue and South Park Street on a report of a fight between two men. Responding officers located the victim, a 42-year-old male from Montclair, lying on the sidewalk unresponsive. The victim was observed to be bleeding profusely from his head. Witnesses gave a description of the suspect who was observed fleeing east on Bloomfield Avenue. Officers were able to apprehend the suspect in the North Fullerton Parking Deck. He was identified as a 27-year-old male from Bloomfield. The victim was transported by Montclair EMS to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson for his injuries. The suspect was charged with Aggravated Assault. Once at police headquarters, he continued fighting with officers and was additionally charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault against Law Enforcement, Refusal to Submit to Fingerprinting, and Criminal Mischief for damaging police property.