A 42-year-old Montclair man was found unresponsive and bleeding on a downtown sidewalk last week after what police described as a fight between two men, the most serious incident in a police blotter that also included two stolen e-bikes, a man posing as a parking attendant and an unpaid cab fare.
Here is the Montclair Police Department blotter covering Aug. 18 through Aug. 25.
Man Hospitalized After Fight Near Bloomfield Avenue
Police responded to Bloomfield Avenue and South Park Street on Aug. 19 after receiving a report of a fight between two men.
Officers found a 42-year-old Montclair man lying unresponsive on the sidewalk and bleeding heavily from his head. Witnesses told police that the other man had fled east on Bloomfield Avenue.
Officers later apprehended a 27-year-old Bloomfield man at the North Fullerton Parking Deck. The victim was taken by Montclair EMS to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson.
Police charged the suspect with aggravated assault.
The confrontation continued after his arrest, according to the blotter. Police said the man fought with officers at headquarters, leading to two additional counts of aggravated assault against law enforcement. He was also charged with refusal to submit to fingerprinting and criminal mischief for allegedly damaging police property.
Two E-Bikes Stolen in Four Days
Two electric bicycles were reported stolen during the week.
On Aug. 19, a resident reported that a red-and-black Enduro e-bike, valued at about $2,000, had disappeared from behind his Marquette Road home. He had left the bike there around 10 p.m. and discovered it missing around 6 p.m. the following day. Its charger was also gone.
Three days later, another rider reported locking his OUXI e-bike near Bloomfield Avenue and Centroverde Drive at 3 p.m. When he returned around 6:40 p.m., the bike was gone and its cut lock had been left on the ground.
Police described the bike as black, with an orange accent at the center of the handlebars and black mountain tires.
A $20 Parking Scam on South Fullerton Avenue
In one of the week’s more unusual reports, a woman told police that a man approached her before she parked in the South Fullerton Parking Deck on Aug. 23 and claimed to be a parking attendant.
The man told her parking would cost $20 and directed her to send the money through Apple Cash to a cellphone number, according to police.
She paid. Later, she received an actual summons from the parking authority.
Police described the man as about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a medium build, wearing a black T-shirt and a traffic vest.
Cab Rider Leaves Without Paying $50 Fare
A taxi driver reported a different kind of loss on Aug. 21.
The driver told police he picked up a passenger in Nutley and drove her to Bloomfield Avenue and Grove Street in Montclair. Once they arrived, police said, the passenger fled from the cab without paying the $50 fare.
The only description provided was of a white woman carrying three large bags.
“HAVE FUN 2026” Spray-Painted Near Watchung School Field
On Aug. 20, a caller reported seeing two juvenile males spray-painting the words “HAVE FUN 2026” on the sidewalk outside Watchung School Field on North Fullerton Avenue.
Police said no description of the juveniles was provided beyond the fact that they were riding electric scooters.
Wallet Stolen From Unlocked Car on Wilfred Avenue
Two unlocked vehicles parked in a Wilfred Avenue driveway were entered overnight on Aug. 23, according to police.
The owners discovered the theft the following morning after receiving alerts for declined transactions.
Surveillance video showed a thin man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, white shoes and gloves entering both vehicles around 3:50 a.m.
A wallet was stolen, and transactions were later attempted at several stores in Irvington, police said.
Image credit: The Montclair Pod
