Police Blotter: 2 Women Fight, a Man Gets Rowdy

A 27-year-old Jersey City woman, Jessica Espinal, was arrested on Saturday around 3:20 a.m. after she hit a woman in the face and tried choking her at Spa Restaurant on 74 Hudson St., according to police reports. An alleged friend was later arrested when he visited her at police headquarters.

Police had arrived at the restaurant because of reports of a verbal fight between two customers. Police broke up that argument, according to reports. As the police were moving people out of the restaurant, Espinal reached across a table and hit a sitting customer in her face, and tried to choke her, police said. 

When a police officer tried to arrest Espinal, she pushed him off her, causing the officer to fall to the ground, according to police reports. She continued to show resistance, even after she was handcuffed, police said. The woman was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Espinal was brought back to police headquarters, where officers learned she had an outstanding warrant out of Jersey City for $2,500 on a charge of harassment. 

Two hours later...

A 35-year-old Jersey City man—allegedly Espinal's friend—was arrested on Saturday around 4:30 a.m., after he assaulted a police officer, according to reports. 

Denis Ford came to see Espinal at police headquarters, police said. When police asked him to leave the headquarters, he refused and started swearing at the police, according to police reports. 

When an officer attempted to lead him out of the building, Ford resisted and pushed the officer away, police said. Police also said that Ford would not let officers handcuff him. 

Ford was charged with defiant trespassing, disorderly conduct, aggravated assault and resisting arrest. 

A fight over a parking spot

Around 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, police responded to a dispute between two motorists at 84 Washington St., according to police reports. One of the men was trying to hold a parking spot for a delivery to a deli on Washington Street, while the other one wanted to use the spot, police said. 

The complainant entered Vito's Deli, located at 806 Washington Street, and the defendant—a 41-year-old Bayonne man—followed behind him, police said. The Bayonne man demanded that the parking space be vacated.

When the parking spot was not vacated, the Bayonne man punched the passenger sideview mirror of the vehicle, police said. The crime was reported to the police.

Man caught with alleged marijuana

A 16-year-old from Jersey City was caught with marijuana in front of 307 1st St., on Jan. 19, around 3:10 p.m., according to police reports. 

Officers had received a report at 3:07 p.m. of a man walking into the Tantastic Tanning Salon at 400 Newark St., to ask how much a tan costs, police said. The employee of the tanning salon was suspicious and called the police. Police responded and found the 16-year-old at First and Grand Streets. Polce said he smelled heavily of marijuana. 

After searching him, police said they found that he had a cigarette pack with a brown, rolled, burnt cigarette containing a green vegetation that appeared to be marijuana. 

He was charged with possession of marijuana, under 50 grams. 

Car break in  

A four-door, black, 2009 Mercury Milan was broken into in front of 802 Park Ave. between Monday 7:30 a.m. and Tuesday 5:30 a.m., police said. 

The side front window of the car was shattered by a brick, according to police reports. The brick was found in the passenger's seat.

Taken from the car were a Garmin GPS navigation system worth approximately $180 and a box of business cards, according to police reports. 

No arrests were made. 

Man gets rowdy

A 43-year-old Hoboken resident was charged with disorderly conduct and defiant trespassing around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15, in front of a Hoboken Housing Authority building at 301 Jackson St., police said. 

A group of approximately 20 people were getting rowdy outside of the HHA residence, according to police reports. While trying to break up the group, police officers noticed a man across the street, yelling, according to reports. 

Police said the man attempted to make the group of people unruly, telling them to cross the street and fight with the police. 

Minutes later the man attempted to cause another scene, police said, and police placed him under arrest for disorderly conduct. When the man was rude to the police, he was also charged with defiant trespassing, according to police reports.

All information comes from reports from the Hoboken Police Department.