Two charged with false testimony in North Jersey shooting

GARFIELD, NJ — Bergen County authorities have arrested two people in connection with a falsely reported shooting incident in Garfield, New Jersey. The arrests follow an investigation by the Bergen County District Attorney’s Office and Garfield Police Department.

Damien I. Flores, 18, of Garfield, and Samantha N. Delacruz, 22, of Elmwood Park, were taken into custody on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on July 26, 2024, when Flores was being treated for a gunshot wound at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey.

Flores initially told officers he was injured in a drive-by shooting near Belmont Park in Garfield. The Bergen County District Attorney's Office's Special Investigations Unit, in conjunction with Garfield police, launched a joint investigation into the incident.

As the investigation progressed, authorities discovered that the statements of Flores and Delacruz did not match. Delacruz, who drove Flores to the hospital, gave a statement that contradicted Flores' version of events. Investigators ultimately concluded that there had been no drive-by shooting and that the gunshot wound had been accidental and self-inflicted while he was in Delacruz's vehicle.

Prosecutor Mark Musella announced that Flores and Delacruz were arrested without incident. The case remains under investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and Garfield Police Department. “This is what happened,” the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

NEW YORK, NY – The New York Police Department is asking the public for help in identifying a person involved in a chain snatching incident that occurred in Brooklyn last week.

Police reported that on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at approximately 2:09 p.m., a 42-year-old woman was attacked from behind by an unknown individual at 43 Belmont Avenue. The individual violently ripped a chain from the victim's neck.

The suspect fled the scene on a moped heading east on Belmont Avenue, accompanied by two other individuals who appeared to be acting in concert with the suspect. The victim did not sustain any injuries during the incident.

Authorities are urging anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the suspects to come forward. “This is what happened,” the New York Police Department said in a statement.

NEW YORK, NY — The New York Police Department is asking the public for help in identifying two people wanted in connection with a robbery that occurred early Sunday morning in the Bronx.

According to police, the incident occurred on August 11, 2024, around 5:30 a.m. near East 222nd Street and White Plains Road. A 24-year-old male victim was approached by two unknown men while sitting in his car.

The perpetrators pulled out a firearm and hit the victim several times in the face before fleeing the scene in the victim's vehicle. The suspects fled to an unknown location.

The victim suffered facial injuries and was transported by emergency medical services to NYC Health and Hospitals/Jacobi.

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward. “This is what happened,” the New York Police Department said in a statement.