Verona Police Chief Mitchell Stern said in a statement on Wednesday that, acting a tip from a resident, the VPD has been able to arrest a suspect in a burglary.
On September 22, while D/Sgt. Tim Banta and Det. Joel Martin were processing the scene of a residential burglary on Mount Prospect Avenue, a resident approached Capt. Chris Kiernan and advised him that she had witnessed a possible suspect at the home earlier in the day.
Based on witnesses observations, D/Sgt. Banta and Det. Martin were able to quickly identify a suspect. As a result of the investigation that followed, Antonio Rivera, 39 of Newark, was arrested on October 4 in Newark.
Rivera, who has 19 previous felony convictions, was transported to the Essex County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail, set by Essex County Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler.
“The Verona Police Department would like to credit the alert resident who broke the case for us,” Stern said. “She knew something was out of place and took the time to observe the actor and take note of his license plate. Please remember: If you see something, say something! If something makes you ask yourself ‘should I call the police about this’, the answer is yes.”
Any suspect named in a police report is presumed innocent until a decision is rendered by the courts.
