Crime & Safety

Don't Lie to the Cops, Or The Wife

Police say one man did both, but not very well.

Which is more punishing—the law or a scorned spouse?

Springfield police say one man was betting on the latter, .

It turns out, police say, the man had been at a go-go bar in Newark, and got lost driving home, eventually winding up in Springfield. When his wife became worried he was late, she kept calling him, and he eventually told her he'd just been robbed at gunpoint—rather than admit he was at the go-go bar, police said.

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But things got a little more complicated when the wife offered to call 911 for the man, police said. He instead told her he'd do it ... and then did.

When cops who responded thought the man's story didn't quite add up (the supposed robbers hadn't taken his cell phone, and he would have passed several well-lit 24-hour convenience stores before deciding to pull over into a dark lot), they pushed further, and learned the real story, police said.

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Each Monday, Patch takes a peek at some of the more surprising,  shocking, stunning and occasionally silly police-related incidents  reported throughout New Jersey for "OMGs from NJ PDs." Some of the other  reports:

A Cop By Any Other Badge ... isn't actually a cop. A Belle Mead man was arrested in Princeton after, police say, . Police [the real ones] say the man told a taxi driver he wasn't allowed to pick up passengers in the area, and flashed a badge to drive home that he was a voice of authority. Problem is, police [again, the real ones] say, it was a volunteer fire department badge ... and representing yourself as an officer of the law tends to annoy the real deal.

How About We Start Calling This Man "Dog's Best Friend?" Some dogs are awfully loyal to their owners. And some owners really deserve it.  (in doggie speak, pronounced "rank roo")—because when a car came toward them on Southampton Road, owner Richard Sciallabba Jr. shielded his four-legged friend, taking most of the hit. Police say Sciallabba saved the pug's life. We think the dog, Milo, should do something nice for Sciallabba. Like maybe take him out bowling [actually, we were just looking for an excuse to link to that video].

You Can Run, And You Can Hide, But Not Very Well: Hopatcong police say the arrest of a man wanted for alleged possession of a stolen log splitter could have gone a little more smoothly. They'd been warned by the man's father that he'd try to escape, so officers approached both sides of the man's house, police said. But the man allegedly ran indoors, headed up to the second floor, opened up a window and climbed onto the roof. Since it turns out the Hopatcong Police Department's manual doesn't recognize the house's roof as "base," and since no one was playing tag anyway, the officers didn't give up [even as the man was cursing at them, saying they'd never catch him], police said. He kicked in an attic window, and went inside, where officers ultimately found him hiding under fiberglass insulation, police said.

Would You Like Fries With That? A Westfield resident is probably hoping for justice served cold, after having to repair $500 of damage to his or car—in the form of condiments. Police say someone smeared ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise all over the outside of the car. But it wasn't all about the main course. Someone thought ahead to desert, and smeared pudding on the car, too, police said. 


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