Homeless Man Driving Stolen Car Had Crack Pipe, Cops Say

A homeless man was caught driving a stolen car with crack pipe and burglary tools, Nutley Police said.

According to a Nutley police report, officers patrolling Route 21 at about 12:40 a.m. on Thursday encountered a white Honda Accord that was reported stolen out of Newark. 

Officers followed and pull over the Accord and arrested the driver, Jose Cardona, 43, who is homeless, and brought him to headquarters.

Nutley police said Cardona had a screwdriver in his pant pockets along with a thin glass pipe often used to smoke crack cocaine that allegedly contained burnt narcotic residue that later tested positive for crack cocaine.

Cardona also had a ball of steel wool, which they noted is commonly used in crack pipes, a vial, containing a white, rocky substance, gloves and the remnants of two spark plugs, police said.

Police believe the spark plugs were used to break into the car, as the porcelain beneath the right rear window was shattered. Additionally, police said the car held a black wallet that contained two New York driver's licenses, multiple debit and credit cards as well as employment certificates.  

Police also found a tool that was used to open the ignition cylinder from the housing in the passenger seat with the ignition cylinder still attached to the tool, according to the report.

Cardona was charged with receiving stolen property, possession of crack/cocaine, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and three counts of possession of burglary tools that were placed on summonses with a mandatory court date.  

Bail was set at $25,000 with a 10 percent option by the Court Administrator. Cardona could not make bail and was remanded to Essex County Jail.