February 2026 Police Blotter

Criminal Mischief

February 3, 2026 (Pine Street): The complainant reported that she engaged in a verbal dispute with the driver of another vehicle after trying to merge into traffic.  She reported that she continued driving south on Pine Street and the suspect, operating a grey GMC pickup truck, continued to follow her.  She reported that both vehicles came to a stop at Pine Street and Glenridge Avenue when the driver of the GMC exited his truck and slashed her rear driver’s side tire.  The suspect then entered his truck and drove away from the scene.

Burglary

February 5, 2026 (Trinity Place): The complainant reported that she was “apartment sitting” a friend’s apartment on Trinty Place.  She reported that she entered the building to conduct a check on the apartment and discovered the front door slightly ajar.  A check of the apartment revealed missing medication and paperwork.  A full inventory of stolen items was not available as the tenant was not on scene.

February 7, 2026 (Christopher Street): Officers responded to a Christopher Street residence on a report of a burglary that occurred in the past.  The residence was vacant and was being shown by a realtor.  Painters who were contracted to do work at the home arrived and discovered a rear door that appeared to have been opened by force.  The incident likely occurred between 5:00 PM Friday February 6^th and 3:00 PM Saturday.  Officers discovered several bedroom drawers had been rummaged through.  A full list of stolen items is unavailable until the homeowners return.    

Theft

February 6, 2026 (Claremont Avenue): Management at CVS reported that an unknown male entered the store at approximately 6:25 AM and immediately began filling two backpacks up with merchandise.  The suspect then fled the store.  He was described as a white male, 5'8" tall wearing an orange/brownish hat, black hooded sweatshirt, navy blue pants.  He reportedly stole over $500 worth of granola bars, body wash, Vaseline, and Burt’s Bees products.

Suspicious Activity

February 10, 2026 (South Mountain Avenue): The resident reported that she was reviewing home surveillance footage when she observed an unknown person enter onto her property at 2:00 AM.  The subject walks up her driveway and peers into the windows of three vehicles parked at the rear of the driveway. All vehicles were locked and the suspect was unable to make entry.  The suspect then leaves, walking back down the driveway towards S. Mountain Avenue.

Arrest

February 9, 2026 (Orange Road): A 43-year-old male from Montclair was charged with Criminal Mischief after he was seen damaging the windows to two vehicles parked on Orange Road. 

Theft

February 10, 2026 (Seymour Street): Officers working The Wellmont Theater detail were approached during the course of the evening by several individuals reporting the theft of their cellphones. In total, seven concert goers reported that their phones were missing. Each party reported the theft occurred sometime around 10:30 PM. In addition, each victim reported being in close proximity to the front of the stage during the concert.

February 13, 2026 (Forest Street): The complainant reported that she received a notification that two packages she was expecting had been delivered to her residence at 3:00 PM. Upon returning home at 4:30 PM she discovered that the package had been stolen. Home surveillance captured a black male wearing white shoes, orange pants, a black coat, and a ski mask approach her residence from the driveway and take the packages. He was last seen walking south on Forest.

Street.

February 14, 2026 (South Park Street): The manager at 2nd Street Clothing reported three individuals entered the store and shoplifted items. The suspects, two females and a male, enter the store together. The females begin browsing while the male goes off on his own. The females were seen placing articles of clothing into their pants. The male takes a single item and all three exited the store without making payment. The suspects were described as two white or Hispanic females. One had black hair, was wearing a long white coat with puffy headpiece, and a long black dress. The second female had black hair and was wearing a long black coat, blue shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. The male suspect was a white or Hispanic male with black hair wearing a gray sweatshirt, dark gray shirt, khaki pants and black and white shoes. The total amount of proceeds taken was approximately $900.00.

February 16, 2026 (South Fullerton Avenue): The caller reported that he was on the fourth floor of his apartment building when he heard a car alarm sounding at approximately 2:45 AM. Upon investigating, he observed a black male wearing a winter jacket and baseball hat hauling a tire into the back seat of an older model tan Lexus sedan. The suspect then proceeded to take a trolley jack down from another vehicle before fleeing the parking lot in an unknown direction. Responding officers located a black 2024 Mercedes Benz C30 with the front and rear of the driver’s side tires missing. The lug nuts to both front and rear of the passenger side tires were completely taken off being left on the ground, next to the vehicle. Officers on scene advised that the vehicle appeared to be secure and did not show any signs of the interior being rummaged through.

Burglary

February 15, 2026 (North Fullerton Avenue): The resident reported that he was sleeping and was awoken by his front door slamming shut at approximately 3:32 AM. The resident immediately reviewed his exterior surveillance footage which depicted two males approaching the front door of the residence. A third suspect, who was already inside of the home, opened the front door for the two other suspects. A fourth suspect remained outside in a dark colored sedan. Initial entry into the home appears to have been made through an unlocked first floor window. The suspects took the keys to the resident’s blue 2022 Audi SQ5. The three suspects then entered the victim’s Audi and fled south on North Fullerton Avenue. The fourth suspect followed in the dark sedan. The Audi was recovered in the early morning hours of February 17 after it was located crashed and disabled on the on ramp to Route 21 S from Route 3.

Arrests

February 12, 2026 (Claremont Avenue): A 28-year-old male from Paterson and a 49-year-old male from Montclair were charged with Criminal Trespass. The individual from Montclair was additionally charged with Criminal Mischief and Weapons Possession. This arrest was stemming from in incident where both men forced their way into a vacant apartment building after being barred from the premises.

February 16, 2026 (Claremont Avenue): A 29-year-old male from Rutherford was charged with Shoplifting from CVS.

Motor Vehicle Crime

February 17, 2026 (Stonebridge Road): At approximately 2:00 AM, a Stonebridge Road resident reported two males on his property looking into his first-floor windows. The suspects did not attempt to make entry into the home but walked down the driveway where the resident had a BMW X5 and a BMW X7 parked. One suspect was able to enter the BMW X7, however it is unknown if anything was stolen. The suspects then fled to an awaiting vehicle, possibly a BMW and fled north on Stonebridge Road. One suspect was said to be wearing a tri color puff jacket, white mask, black gloves, black pants. The second suspect had on a gray Nike tech jacket, white mask, black gloves, and black pants.

Theft

February 17, 2026 (Claremont Avenue): Management at CVS Pharmacy reported that they discovered a significant amount of cosmetic merchandise missing during a late-night inventory. This caused them to check surveillance where they discovered two unidentified females entering the store at approximately 6:00 PM February 14th. The suspects were seen on video entering the aisle which contains cosmetic products. The females were observed concealing numerous cosmetic items in their long jackets before exiting the store without making any attempt to pay for the merchandise. The first female can be described as heavy set build, slicked back hair bun, wearing a light gray coat with a long blue dress underneath and black sneakers. The second female can be described as smaller build, wearing a long black coat with a gray shirt/dress underneath with black shoes. Approximately $1066.00 in cosmetics were stolen.

Suspicious Incident

February 23, 2026 (Wheeler Street): The caller reported that he was in his first-floor apartment when an unknown male rang the doorbell. The caller went to the window and observed a Hispanic male wearing all black, standing by the front door. The unidentified male stated he was looking for someone named "Sharon." The caller reportedly advised the unknown male that nobody by that name resides there. The unknown male then became verbally aggressive and retrieved a knife from his pocket and held it in an aggressive manner. The suspect then fled south on Wheeler Street on foot. He was described only as a Hispanic male wearing all black.

Arrests

February 20, 2026 (Pine Street): A 21-year-old male from Montclair was charged with Criminal Trespass from a Pine Street apartment building.

February 23, 2026 (Bloomfield Avenue): A 42-year-old male from Montclair was charged with Aggravated Assault and Weapons Possession following a physical dispute on Bloomfield Avenue.