Princeton Police Blotter: Robbery at Efes Grill

princetonpolice_2Employees at Efes Mediterranean Grill reported to police Sunday night that a man entered the restaurant, took all the money in the tip jar, and then threatened employees who were chasing him, telling them he was carrying a gun. Police were dispatched to the restaurant on the 200 block of Nassau Street  just before 9 p.m. Restaurant employees described the suspect as a  white male, thin build, approx. 5’10” tall with dirty blonde hair, wearing a black leather jacket, a hooded sweatshirt and grey pants. He fled north on Chestnut Street with about $80 in tips. Employees stopped chasing him after he made the threat about the gun. No weapon was seen and no injuries were reported.

Police responding to Quaker Road at 2:55 a.m. Jan. 26 on on the report of a man requesting assistance from passing traffic, and determined that the person drove his vehicle off the traveled portion of Quaker Road and had gotten stuck. According to police, Andrew Freedman, 24, of Monroe  had consumed alcoholic beverages prior to operating his vehicle that night. Freedman was charged with DWI, DWI in a school zone, reckless driving, careless driving and driving without insurance.

On Jan. 23, a resident in an apartment on the first block of Palmer Square West called police to report that some time between Dec. 31 and the time of the call, someone had entered his apartment by forcing the front door open. At the time of the report, it was unknown what, if anything, was missing from the apartment.

A Princeton resident was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated just before 7 p.m. on Jan. 23. Police were dispatched to Southern Way near South Harrison Street to investigate a report of a car accident. When police arrived, they discovered that the driver had left the scene on foot. He was located a short distance from the crash. Police determined that the driver, Salguero Mateo, 26, had consumed alcoholic beverages prior to operating his vehicle. Mateo was placed under arrest and later released to a friend.  He was charged with driving while intoxicated, being an unlicensed driver, reckless driving, careless driving, consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to report a crash.

Patrols and the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad responded to Mercer Street near the intersection of Maxwell Lane on Jan. 22 just after 7:30 a.m. on the report of a car crashing into a pole. The vehicle, a 2007 Kia, was traveling southbound on Mercer Street when it left the roadway and struck a utility pole. The driver and her two children all complained of head and neck pain as a result of the impact and all were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The driver, Yulie Sereni, 47, of Trenton, was issued a summons for careless driving.

A caller reported to police that sometime between 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 18th and noon on Jan. 19th, an unknown person or persons damaged a stone structure and business sign in the front of the  Grape and Grain  store at 264 Nassau St. The estimated cost to repair the damage is $2,000, police said.

Two teen males and two juvenile females were discovered by police after hours on Jan. 19 at the Princeton Battlefield Park. Jewel Quinones, 18, of Flemington, allegedly was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.  Alexander Greenberg, 18, of Princeton, was in possession of alcohol. One of the girls, a Readington resident, was 14. The other, a Flemington resident, was 16. All of the occupants of the vehicle were placed under arrest.