Wayne Police Arrest Rock-Throwing, Windshield Smashing, Spitting West Milford Man

AYNE, NJ – It was a scary moment at the Park Wayne Diner this past Saturday night when a man came in, sat down, drank a glass of water before “flipping out,” causing a dangerous scene in the diner, then went outside and started smashing windshields of cars in the parking lot with rocks. Wayne’s finest were called in and were eventually able to locate the suspect and wrestle him down in the middle of the Hamburg Turnpike before taking him into custody.

File Photo Photo Credits: Shutterstock

Here's how it went down based on a statement released by Police Public Information Officer, Detective Captain Dan Daly and an interview with Park Wayne Diner owner Mahmoud Sherif.

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It was Saturday evening, a little before 7:00pm, with a good crowd at the Park Wayne Diner, when a man came in, was sat at a table and given a menu and a glass of water. Not long after that, all hell broke loose in the local diner.

After drinking the glass of water, the man put the empty glass in a shopping bag he brought in with him, according to Sherif. He then put in the silverware from the table and another glass from a neighboring table, then he “flipped out” and started yelling.

“He went crazy all over the place,” said Sherif, who described the man grabbing a chair and hurling at a window before going outside and smashing two glasses in the parking lot, then proceeded to smash two car windshields with rocks before heading to neighboring McDonalds.

Police were called and Officers Robert Thompson, Evelyn Tam, Robert Meichsner, Angelo Giammanco, Trevor Costabile and Lieutenant David Hoppe responded.

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When they arrived minutes later, the man was gone.

While an officer interviewed witnesses at the diner, others began searching the area. A man fitting the description of the subject was found walking along the Hamburg Turnpike by Officer Thompson, who approached in his patrol car, clearly marked as a Wayne Police vehicle.

As the patrolman neared, “the subject through a large rock, which smashed the police car windshield,” said Daly. “The subject [then] began walking in the roadway on Hamburg Turnpike.

Photo Credits: Brian Borchard

The decision was made to stop traffic in both directions on the busy road, both for the man’s safety and to give officers an opportunity to surround him.

As they approached, the officers yelled for the man to “stop walking” and “submit to control,” but the suspect chose instead to “continue to display a threatening demeanor,” according to Daly.

So, it became a physical struggle to cuff the man and get him into custody. Even then, he continued to struggle, clearly angry.

“Officers attempted to calm the subject, but he continued to scream and flail about,” said Daly. “He then spit on Officers Meichsner and Tam.”

They used a “spit hood” on the man and wisely transported the man to a hospital for evaluation. They cleared him for transport to Police Headquarters at town hall for processing, but the man would not quit his struggle and, according to Daly, he “spit all over the processing room and in Officer Thompson’s face. So, once again the spit hood came back on.

And, once again, he was transported back to the same hospital after “claiming additional medical needs,” was once again cleared, but this time he was sent directly to the Passaic

“Arrested was Evan R. Gonzalez (27) of West Milford,” said Daly. “He was charged with

Throwing Bodily Fluids at a Law Enforcement Officer (3 Counts), Aggravated Assault (2 Counts), Interfering With Transportation, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (4 Counts), Resisting Arrest, and Criminal Mischief (4 Counts).  The charges against Mr. Gonzalez are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

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