Crime & Safety

Gas Station Phone Theft Leads to Charges for New York Men

Paul Garnere, 29, was charged with the theft. Everett Wilson, 30, was charged with hindering in his own apprehension.

Two Upstate New York men were arrested Monday after Wyckoff Police say they were involved in the theft of a gas station attendant's cell phone. 

The attendant had left his phone on a desk inside the Getty Gas station at 322 Franklin Ave., according to police, when four men entered the building to use the restroom there.

The attendant returned to retrieve his cell phone and noticed it was missing. He confronted the men, all of whom denied the accusation and fled the scene.

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"Police were notified and the vehicle was stopped on Wyckoff Avenue," according to Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox.

Cops saw the phone in the vehicle and all four men were taken into custody, according to Wyckoff Police.

Find out what's happening in Wyckoffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Following an investigation and interviews, Paul Garnere, 29, and Everett Wilson, 30, both of Middletown, N.Y., were arrested, according to police.

Garnere was charged the theft of the phone and his bail was set at $5,000.

Wilson, who gave cops a fictitious name, was charged with hindering his own apprehension. A warrant for violation of probation from New York was uncovered after his real name was revealed.

Wilson's bail was set at $3,500.

Both men were sent to the Bergen County Jail in default of bail.

Lt. Charles Van Dyk, Lt. David Murphy, Sgt. Daniel Kellogg, Detective Sgt. Michael Musto, and Officer Mark Tagliareni investigated.  

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