Two Incidents Involving Florham Park Police on August 19th

FLORHAM PARK, NJ - August 19th was a busy day in Florham Park for the local police.  There were two morning incidents reported by the police and they are listed below:

On 8/19/24 at 7:50 a.m., Officer Nick Cotterell conducted a motor vehicle stop on Columbia Tpk at James St for various motor vehicle violations, including a suspicious looking and expired temporary registration affixed to the vehicle. During Officer Cotterell’s roadside investigation, he confirmed the temporary registration was fraudulently created and an alleged proof of insurance provided to him was also found to be counterfeit. In addition, during a search of the suspect, a quantity of illegal drugs, suspected to be cocaine, was seized. The driver, a 41-year-old male from Newark, who was also an unlicensed driver, was arrested and brought to Headquarters for processing while his vehicle was towed from the roadway. He was charged with the following crimes and motor vehicle offenses and released on a summons pending a Morris County Superior Court hearing:

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2C:35-10a(1) – Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (third degree crime)

2C:36-2A – Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (disorderly persons offense)

2C:28-7A(2) - Possession of a Counterfeit Registration Plate (fourth degree crime)

2C:21-2.3B - Uttering a Counterfeit Insurance Document (fourth degree crime)

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Failure to Keep Right (motor vehicle offense)

Fraudulent Use of a Registration (motor vehicle offense)

Fictitious Plates on a Vehicle (motor vehicle offense)

Operating a MV While Possessing a Controlled Dangerous Substance (motor vehicle offense)

Unregistered Vehicle (motor vehicle offense)

Uninsured Vehicle (motor vehicle offense)

Uninspected Vehicle (motor vehicle offense)

Unlicensed Driver (motor vehicle offense)

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On 8/19/24 at 10:25 a.m., Officers Chris Heredia and Charlie Greenstein and Sgt. Joel Phillips responded to the area of a local business after an employee of the same reported someone may be trying to purchase an item from them by fraudulent means. The Officers located the vehicle on Columbia Tpk near Park Ave as the party fled and discovered the license plate on the vehicle was reported stolen. The Officers were eventually able to stop it off of Columbia Rd into Morris Twp. During the course of their roadside investigation, they learned that the driver, a 21-year-old male from Syracuse, NY, was in possession of items he stole from our business, including a key fob to a Cadillac Escalade, and other victims.

The driver was arrested and it was soon learned that not only was the license plate stolen, but the vehicle itself was stolen from a different victim in Broome County, New York. Inside the vehicle were numerous other items and suspected burglary tools that were found to be stolen. This suspect had been attempting to trade-in the vehicle he previously stole for another vehicle at our local business, but he couldn’t fool the employee with his attempt. Upon his fleeing the business, he attempted to steal a Cadillac Escalade, but was unsuccessful. The stolen vehicle he was operating was towed and the suspect was charged with several crimes. Other law enforcement agencies were alerted as this vehicle is reported to have been in a prior police pursuit and numerous other thefts in New Jersey and New York. The suspect was processed on the below charges and subsequently lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility on the strength of our warrant pending a Detention Hearing in front of a Morris County Superior Court Judge.

2C:20-10.1 – Attempted Theft of Motor Vehicle (2nd degree crime)

2C:20-10.2 – Receiving Stolen Property (Motor Vehicle), (3rd degree crime)

2C:20-7a – Receiving Stolen Property (other), 4 counts (two 3rd degree crimes and two disorderly persons offenses)

2C:20-7.1 – Fencing (a 3rd degree crime)

2C:5-5a – Possession of Burglar Tools (disorderly persons offense)

Additional motor vehicle offenses as well.

**All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in court**

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