Man Accused of Skipping Out on Taxi Fare Charged with Marijuana Possession in Lyndhurst, NJ
Police in Lyndhurst New Jersey recently arrested a man for marijuana possession after he allegedly skipped out on a taxi fare.
According to law enforcement, the 31-year-old suspect took a taxi from Queens, NY to Lyndhurst, NJ. When the cab pulled up to Valley Brook Avenue in Lyndhurst, the suspect allegedly got out of the vehicle and ran away without paying for the trip.
Officials said that the taxi fare was $110.
After the suspect fled the scene, the cab driver called Lyndhurst police and alerted them to the situation. The cabbie told police that the suspect ran toward a nearby apartment building.
Police officers soon arrived at the scene and tracked the suspect’s footprints in the snow. When the officers knocked on the door of the apartment, another man answered the door. He reportedly allowed the officers inside the apartment and consented for them to search the premises for the suspect.
Once inside the apartment, police allegedly saw drugs and drug paraphernalia in plain view on tabletops and counters. Police described what they saw as “a large assortment” of drugs, including marijuana, alprazolam, and Psilocybin mushrooms.
Officers eventually discovered the suspect hiding in the apartment. He was placed under arrest at the scene.
Lyndhurst detectives then obtained a search warrant so that they could search the rest of the apartment. As a result, police also allegedly discovered illegal brass knuckles, as well as hollow-point .45-caliber and 9mm bullets.
The man who answered the door to the apartment was subsequently identified as the suspect’s 24-year-old tenant. He was charged with several weapons offenses because of the brass knuckles and illegal bullets.
Meanwhile, the suspect who allegedly fled the taxi without paying was charged with theft of services.
Both suspects were also charged with various drug crimes, including marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
After being arrested and processed, the suspects were taken to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey. They were each being held at the correctional facility on bail amounts of at least $100,000.
For additional information about this case, go to the NJ.com article entitled “Unpaid Taxi Fare Leads Tops to Lyndhurst Drug Stash, Police Say.”