PARSIPPANY — UPS security personnel contacted the Parsippany Police Department to report they had two employees they suspected of stealing items out of packages prior to loading them into the shipping trailers, on Wednesday, July 15 at 8:11 a.m.

Patrol Officer A. Van Orden and J. Lubeck responded to UPS and spoke to UPS security personnel. Through the course of their investigation, along with evidence received from UPS security, Sean Stevenson, 26, North Haledon and Joseph Meola, 27, Hawthorne, were placed under arrest and transported back to Parsippany Police Headquarters.

Mr. Meola was charged with Theft of Movable Property for the theft of a cell phone. Mr. Stevenson was charged with Theft of Movable Property for the theft of five cell phones.

Both parties were released pending their court appearance.

Editors Note: A complaint or a charge is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

PARSIPPANY — Home Depot Asset Protection contacted the Parsippany Police Department to report they had a shoplifter detained in the store on Tuesday, July 7 at 4:29 p.m.

Patrol Officer P. Kolln and C. Cifaldi responded to the scene. Once on scene they were advised by Asset Protection personnel that Christopher Beyel, 23, Parsippany, had placed three different power tools into his cart and exited the store.

Asset Protection personnel then stopped him and brought him back inside the store until Parsippany Police arrived.

Mr. Beyel was arrested and transported back to Parsippany Police Headquarters. He was issued a summons for Shoplifting and released pending his court appearance.

Editors Note: A complaint or a charge is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

PARSIPPANY — As the weather has warmed up over the last few weeks more people have been out walking around town. For your safety always use the marked crosswalks at intersections and mid street, where applicable.

If you are in a marked crosswalk with walk, don’t walk signals, you must obey the walk/don’t walk signals. Failure to do so may result in a summons.

If the marked crosswalk is not controlled by any signs or signals, traffic must stop for you, or they can be ticketed. This does not mean you should dart into the roadway in marked crosswalk. Always be safe.

If no crosswalks are present you must yield the right of way to vehicles. You should always look both ways and confirm no vehicles are coming.

If a vehicle fails to yield the right of way, you can write down their license plate information. You can then go to the Parsippany Municipal Court and issue a summons. Police Officers cannot issue a summons unless we witness the violation.

So far 82 pedestrians have been struck and killed by motor vehicles during various incidents this year in the State of New Jersey.

For reference here are some of the pertinent traffic laws:
39:4-32 Crossing a Roadway
39:4-33 Use of Designated crosswalk: PEDESTRIANS MUST obey pedestrian signals and use crosswalks at signalized intersections. Both carry a $54.00 fine for failure to observe the law.
39:4-36 Driver to yield to pedestrian at crosswalk: MOTORISTS in New Jersey MUST stop for pedestrians in a marked crosswalk. Failure to observe the law may subject you to one or more of the following: 2 points, $200 Fine, 15 days community service and/or insurance surcharges.

The driver of a vehicle must stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk, but shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except at crosswalks when the movement of traffic is being regulated by police officers or traffic control signals, or where otherwise prohibited by municipal, county, or State regulation, and except where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided, but no pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield.

Whenever any vehicle is stopped to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.

Every pedestrian upon a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.

For more information, click here.

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany Police Officers Remo D’Alessandro and Brian Conover gave a presentation at the Parsippany Community Center on Knoll Road about identity theft and phone scams, on Wednesday, July 15.

A few points the Parsippany Police Departmetn would like to repeat to the public are:

• Never give any personal information over the phone unless you can verify who is calling. When in doubt hang up and call them at a number that you know, such as the one off the back of your credit card or billing statements.

• Communicate with family members, who are not going, prior to vacations or trips so they know where you will be. Scams have evolved to the point were people will call and state that their family member has either been in a bad car accident, kidnapped, or arrested at some location.They demand you wire them money or purchase money cards and give them the information for their medical treatment/ransom/or bail. These scams are extremely frequent.

• If you receive an email or phone call that you won the lottery in some overseas country or someone overseas has millions of dollars they need your help securing, I’m sorry to say its a scam.

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not call and demand money to be sent them or else you will be arrested.

• Always research the charity that is calling for a donation. Scammers will attempt to use tragic situations to tug at your emotions and get you to donate.