4 held after eagle-eyed neighbor calls cops

Monday, June 29, 2009
CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A watchful neighbor gets the credit for police nabbing four suspected burglars who had stolen items piled up in the getaway car, according to Jersey City police reports.

Edwin Ventura, 22, and Freddie Mauricio, 25, both of Jersey City, along with Soveira Polanco, 32, of Paterson, and Michael Lima, 24, of North Bergen, were charged with burglary and theft, reports said. Ventura was additionally charged with weapons possession, reports said.

A resident called 911 after he saw three men walk out of his friend's apartment at Linden and Garfield avenues in Jersey City at 1:57 a.m. yesterday carrying a flat screen television and other items, reports said.

The neighbor watched as the men piled the goods into an SUV driven by a woman, reports said.

When they arrived at the scene, police found Polanco in the driver's seat and the three men sitting in the vehicle, reports said.

Ventura jumped out and ran, but he was caught quickly and found to have a switchblade in his pocket, along with an identity card, cell phone and designer glasses belonging to the victim, reports said