| Author | Message | ||
     Dobler88 Citizen Username: Dobler88 Post Number: 106 Registered: 7-2005 |
Iwas walking down oakview to train--and I started hearing sirens, then screeching tires--out of nowhere this man comes running down the street with about 6 cops chasing him-he ran into side yard of tudor style house on left side of oakview (as you're walking down from prospect). Needless to stay, I started moving very quickly away from scene, but four maplewood police came tearing up street and it sounded like the chase was ongoing. When I got to station I heard it was robbery suspects from newark...I sure hope they've caught them--the sirens stopped before I got on train anyway. Whew. That's a bit more excitement than I'd like on a friday morning! | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 7827 Registered: 5-2001  |
We saw about 10 Newark PD cars tearing up Elmwood. Someone driving down our way said that they saw PD cars up on the lawn and surrounding a house on Prospect. About 10 minutes later, 4 NPD cars came back down Elmwood at a normal speed. I have to say that anyone crossing the street, and it is still the time of day when CHS kids could be walking to school for a late class, would have been killed. There is no excuse for that many cars to be going that kind of speed in a residential neighborhood. Last summer, EO, Newark, Orange PDs came racing up Elmwood in the middle of a sunny, Sunday afternoon. The time of day that kids could be out on their bikes, heading to the park one block away. I don't know how to balance the law enforcement with the traffic safety, but someone is going to get killed one of these days. | ||
| HOMMELL Citizen Username: Hommell Post Number: 196 Registered: 11-2005 |
C'mon. That made your weekend. Now you have a story to tell at the barbeque.  | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 7828 Registered: 5-2001 |
Nah. I have too many others in the docket. | ||
| MeAndTheBoys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 3828 Registered: 12-2004  |
So I guess this is the answer to the question posed by the "Huge police presence on Prospect" thread? Didn't even hear sirens. | ||
| campbell29 Citizen Username: Campbell29 Post Number: 451 Registered: 4-2002 |
I was driving down Elmwood when a green Honda came speeding (going about 60) with a trail of about 5 Newark police cars right behind. The Newark police were followed by a couple Maplewood police and then more Newark. At first I thought it was a stolen car chase, but with so many cars involved I think it must have been something more serious. On the way back from dropping my child at school, the police had all converged and blocked off Elmwood to Prospect at Summit and were redirecting traffic. I believe I saw Greentree and about 4 other ladies clustered on one of the corners as I drove by. | ||
| MeAndTheBoys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 3829 Registered: 12-2004 |
Funny how quickly word spreads. Just got a call from a friend who was dropping off her child at Prospect and saw the Newark and MPD cars, and says there was a car on the lawn of a house on Prospect near Elmwood. So I guess the "bad guy" got out and ran to Oakview on foot. Just hope they got him, because he appears to be moving closer to my neighborhood. After the low-flying helicopter over my house on Monday, I really don't need to be worrying about armed robbers in my neighborhood again! | ||
| MeAndTheBoys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 3830 Registered: 12-2004 |
Yup, my friend said it was a green honda too. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 7831 Registered: 5-2001 |
Well, given the response that these guys seem to generate, I actually feel safer. If only they would figure out the speeding thing. | ||
| Dobler88 Citizen Username: Dobler88 Post Number: 107 Registered: 7-2005 |
I tell you, it was the craziest thing. I have to agree with you greenetree, the racing down the street was frightening. And a maplewood pd cruiser almost backed into me as I was running down oakview and crossing at kensington, but I didn't want to crticize given the situation.... Does anyone know if they caught the guy? (I only saw one running down oakview). | ||
| Dobler88 Citizen Username: Dobler88 Post Number: 108 Registered: 7-2005 |
you know what is amazing, i was crossing prospect at elmwood 5 minutes earlier, thinking about that thread about people who waive you on when you are at crosswallk, only to have car pass and hit the person...imagine if someone had been crossing at elmwood five minutes later? And you're right greenetree--I saw 3 or 4 kids walking toward columbia on prospect as I was turning onto oakview.... | ||
| MeAndTheBoys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 3836 Registered: 12-2004 |
Did the PD not have their sirens on? | ||
| campbell29 Citizen Username: Campbell29 Post Number: 452 Registered: 4-2002 |
Lots of sirens and lights. It was pretty hard to miss. | ||
| algebra2 Supporter Username: Algebra2 Post Number: 4082 Registered: 5-2001  |
The police cars I saw had lights/no siren. | ||
| MeAndTheBoys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 3839 Registered: 12-2004 |
So, campbell, if the police cars you saw pursuing the car down Elmwood had lights and sirens on, why would we worry about anyone getting hit in a crosswalk? If they hear the sirens coming, obviously they're not going to step into the crosswalk with police cars bearing down on them? Is there something I'm missing? | ||
| Duncan Supporter Username: Duncanrogers Post Number: 6386 Registered: 12-2001  |
I drove through the middle of the arrest. Saw the cuffed perp being led to a patrol car. Heard tons of sirens before I got to the location and units from Newark, Orange, South Orange, Irvington, Maplewood and Millburn all present at the scene. | ||
| Case Citizen Username: Case Post Number: 1686 Registered: 2-2005 |
I'd feel better if we could get real information from someone who had high-level police contacts... but I guess this will have to suffice. | ||
| george H Citizen Username: Georgieboy Post Number: 202 Registered: 8-2005 |
Channel 2 News van is in front of my house as we speak getting ready to do a live feed at 12 noon which will probably be repeated at 5 pm. | ||
| campbell29 Citizen Username: Campbell29 Post Number: 453 Registered: 4-2002 |
Channel 2 reported that 2 people were arrested for robbing kids at gunpoint on their way to school in Newark. Apparently there were 2 cars working in tandem. One car was caught in Maplewood, the people in the other car are still loose. | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 168 Registered: 8-2005 |
That news report seemed like a lot of hoopla for what was actually a pretty minor incident. Something tells me if the car had ended up on the lawn of a less impressive house this wouldn't have made the news at all. | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 2428 Registered: 10-2001  |
Robbing two kids at gunpoint is a "pretty minor incident?" Not a lot of good press these last couple of days. I heard the sirens as I was watching my son go into Tuscan school this morning and thought it odd that the police would go flying through the intersection of Prospect and Harvard with all the small kids around. | ||
| breal Citizen Username: Breal Post Number: 902 Registered: 6-2002 |
Robbing kids AT GUNPOINT? Not a minor incident. Do you have kids? | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 169 Registered: 8-2005 |
Armed robberies happen daily in Newark without making the news. I really don't think this would have been a story if they had been caught in East Orange instead of on an immaculately manicured lawn in front of a semi-palatial tudor. And no, I really don't think in Newark a couple of kids holding up other kids at gunpoint is a stop-the-presses story. | ||
| Dobler88 Citizen Username: Dobler88 Post Number: 110 Registered: 7-2005 |
my point was that they literally came out of nowhere when they turned onto oakview...it happened so fast I really think someone could have been hurt... | ||
| Duncan Supporter Username: Duncanrogers Post Number: 6387 Registered: 12-2001 |
Sleeping... I think you are missing the point. Yes things like this happen in Newark all the time and go unreported by the news. What makes it news is not so much the (and I would hardly call that house "semi-palatial", but the fact that there was pursuit through multiple towns after an armed robbery. Thats what makes it a story. And now I know where George H lives  I saw the van on my way back from the city. And Case, really, do you expect to get any official information from MOL? That is highly unrealistic. | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 170 Registered: 8-2005 |
Point taken, Duncan, but did you see the actual news report? It still seemed wildly out of proportion to what I still maintain was ultimately not a major incident (there were no injuries, for one thing). There have been other car chases through Maplewood (I've witnessed a couple) that didn't make the news. Did the recent shooting in South Orange make the evening news? Not that I saw. What makes this bigger news than a murder? The only thing I can think of is that the images made for better TV. Anyway, this is just an observation. I'm glad they caught these guys and nobody was hurt in the chase. | ||
| breal Citizen Username: Breal Post Number: 905 Registered: 6-2002 |
You know, people have such different perceptions about what is "minor." Such different "normals." We can't let stuff like this become part of our towns' "normals." | ||
| Eats Shoots & Leaves Citizen Username: Mfpark Post Number: 3388 Registered: 9-2001  |
Heck, I thought it was the cops chasing down SLK's illegal student. | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 2429 Registered: 10-2001 |
breal - you are so right. | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 171 Registered: 8-2005 |
I'm not saying this is "normal." I'm saying it's not major breaking news that warrants a long live report as the third story on a news program covering the entire 20-million-person population of the tri-state area. Some kids pulled a gun on some other kids in Newark and the cops chased them and they got caught. A big deal in our quiet town? Kinda, I guess. A big deal anywhere else? Sorry, but no. And if this is important because of the crime itself, why didn't the news send a crew to the crime scene to interview witnesses and victims? They were only interested in the picture of a crashed car in front of a fancy house. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 7834 Registered: 5-2001 |
We should realize that a safer Newark is a safer Maplewood. Irvington, too, for that matter. I don't know what the crime stats are for Newark, so I don't know how "normal" school kids being held up at gunpoint is. I suspect that it is not. But, even if it is, brushing it off as "something normal for Newark" instead of being outraged and saying "this is unacceptable anywhere" doesn't help stop crime. Oh, I was at MPD HQ this morning to pay a parking ticket. I asked about the incident and the speeding. I was told that they caught the guys (MPD) and that I would have to call NPD to make a complaint about the speeding, since initiating it thru MPD is a formal complaint process. I was hoping for a casual "hey guys, we get complaints when you send 10 cars doing over 60 down our streets" sort of thing. Me&, they were going so fast and there were so many that it would be easy to get hit. When there are that many sirens, it can be hard to tell that there are more cars coming. Elmwood has a blind spot right in front of Winchester gardens. It's a disaster waiting to happen. | ||
| LilLB Citizen Username: Lillb Post Number: 1725 Registered: 10-2002  |
What happened the the no chase policy that was the topic of a thread here a little while ago? | ||
| breal Citizen Username: Breal Post Number: 907 Registered: 6-2002 |
A car chase across three towns involving multiple squad cars, lights flashing, sirens blazing. A crash on a lawn. That's why the story got a lot of play on t.v., I'm guessing. Did they have some sky cam footage? Very smoky and the bandits. Very bullit. I agree with you that those reporters probably did not care very much about the victims. | ||
| Cynicalgirl Citizen Username: Cynicalgirl Post Number: 2798 Registered: 9-2003  |
I consider it a big deal. Kids were threatened and guns were involved. I am not interested in blowing this off and accepting it as a "new normal" when it's so close and happening, and I welcome the coverage. And, yeah, it would be a big deal elsewhere. Maybe not to xenophobic metro-NYC people, but there's life outside that particular beltway and Maplewood aims to be safer, kinder and nicer than the metro NYC norm. In other threads people are talking about "walking buses" and how more kids should walk to school, etc. Tough sell if this kind of thing becomes accepted as ho-hum. | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 172 Registered: 8-2005 |
There was no footage of the actual chase, sky cam or otherwise. Just a reporter on the sidewalk and a quick shot of the car on the lawn. And interviews with a bunch of witnesses and residents from Maplewood. Nothing but a quick mention of the crime itself, no footage from the place where the crime actually occurred. | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 173 Registered: 8-2005 |
I can't imagine how anything I've said could be considered even remotely xenophobic. That's a real head-scratcher. | ||
| Case Citizen Username: Case Post Number: 1688 Registered: 2-2005 |
Sorry Duncan - I was actually referring to our recently departed 'friend'. I know what you mean! | ||
| Cynicalgirl Citizen Username: Cynicalgirl Post Number: 2799 Registered: 9-2003 |
I just get ultra crabby every time someone with more "perspective" speaks as if these things should be considered ho-hum because they are routine in more urban areas near us. This kinds of things ARE worthy of coverage and police attention. Plus, as some like to point out, we thrive on (and the news tweaks us) feeling fearful. Well, I think some of it is warranted. Nothing personal. | ||
| I'm Only Sleeping Citizen Username: Imonlysleeping Post Number: 174 Registered: 8-2005 |
Who said this doesn't deserve police attention? I think you're seriously misunderstanding me here. I'm making a point about the news media and what sorts of stories are considered newsworthy for what reasons. I'm sorry if you feel fearful, but I still think this was blown way out of proportion by the TV news. | ||
| Rastro Citizen Username: Rastro  Post Number: 3248 Registered: 5-2004  |
Given that the news people had to get to the scene before they could determine that it was "on an immaculately manicured lawn in front of a semi-palatial tudor" I doubt that was the reason for the news coverage. It is rare for them to send out a news van for an event and not file a report. |
