An East Orange man became alarmed after finding a white powder inside a jar of strawberry jam he bought on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. at the Pathmark in Lackawanna Plaza, police said.

The man opened the jar and found the powder sitting on top of the jam. He then called the product’s manufacturer, the store and the Montclair police. The factory told him no white powder is used as a preservative in the jelly. The store manager advised him to bring the jar back and exchange it for a new one.

But, concerned for other shoppers’ safety, the purchaser wanted all the jars of that type of jelly pulled from the shelves. He brought the jar to Montclair Police Headquarters on Wednesday, Oct. 22, around noon, and police told him to take it behind the building and wait for Nutley’s Hazardous Materials Unit to respond.

The Hazmat team took a small sample of the substance, analyzed it, and discovered it was actually oyster-shell calcium D. Investigators concluded the powder had been placed in the jar either at the processing plant or the store.

A Newark man who ran away after he crashed his Mazda into two parked cars and one moving car, injuring the driver, on Orange Road was charged with a number of traffic violations and with hindering apprehension, police said.

Responding officers found the crash victim, a 19-year-old man from Parsippany, laying on the ground and being attended to by several witnesses this past Sunday, Oct. 26, at 11:40 p.m., police said.

The witnesses told investigators that the other car involved in the crash had stopped just north of the accident scene. Fifty yards up the road, police found a 2000 tan Mazda with heavy damage to its back driver’s side.

Witnesses, who told police the car was headed north when it struck two parked cars and then hit the victim’s vehicle, said the occupants had bailed out and run away, according to police.

Three people matching the descriptions provided were soon thereafter detained on Willowdale Avenue, including the man later identified as the driver, Richard Lamar Beckett, 23, of Newark, authorities said.

Beckett said the abandoned car was his, but initially told investigators that it had been stolen minutes earlier and the car thief was to blame for the accident, police said. He later admitted he was behind the wheel when the collision occurred, police indicated.

Investigators also noted that Beckett’s eyes were glassy and he smelled of liquor, and officers found two cups containing an alcoholic beverage in the suspect’s car. In addition, police said that Beckett had a $750 outstanding warrant for his arrest from the East Orange police.

After he was treated and released from Mountainside Hospital for shoulder pain and dizziness from the crash, Beckett was charged with several motor-vehicle infractions, including driving while intoxicated and with an open container of liquor in his car, plus leaving the scene of an accident and failing to report it. He was likewise charged with hindering apprehension for, according to police, making up the story about the car theft.

A Montclair man who was walking on North Fullerton Avenue carrying two bags of marijuana and hundreds of dollars was arrested and charged with various drug offenses on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7:27 p.m., according to police.

A witness called authorities to report that a man was trying to break into a car in the area, and officers found Sandor Hayles, 22, who matched the description provided by the caller, walking north on North Fullerton Avenue near the Rand Park basketball courts, investigators said.

While police were questioning him, Hayles admitted he had weed in his possession, authorities said. A search revealed he had $770 plus two bags of marijuana inside a larger zip-top bag in the waistband of his jeans, police said. He was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute, and intent to distribute within 500 feet of a park and 1,000 feet of a school.

• As he was entering Lackawanna Plaza, a 26-year-old man from Newark was grabbed by two suspects, led to a secluded area of the parking lot, stripped down and robbed, police said.The victim was entering the shopping center at about 9:30 p.m. this past Monday, Oct. 20, through the lower parking area behind the Commerce Bank when two men walked up and each of them grabbed one of his arms, according to authorities. They then escorted the victim to the northeast corner of the parking area, behind a dump truck, and while one of the robbers pressed the barrel of a handgun against the man’s stomach, the other perpetrator stripped him down to his underwear, police said. The suspects took his wallet, which contained $30 and had a picture of a convertible Mustang on it, and two credit cards. Before fleeing, they warned the victim to stay put and to not tell anyone about the crime. The victim was not injured during the robbery. The suspects were described as two Hispanic males in their 20s who were wearing ski masks and black jackets. Both of them had thick Spanish accents, and it was difficult for the victim to comprehend what they were saying. One of them was about 6 feet tall while the other robber was around 5-feet 9-inches in height. Anyone with information that could help police solve the case should call Detective Adam Toops at 973-509-4717.

• What might have concluded with a shoplifting charge turned into a robbery after, according to police, a 17-year-old boy got into a tug-of-war over a shopping bag with the manager of the Urban Outfitters on South Park Street, and the manager tumbled down a small flight of stairs. After buying several items on Saturday, Oct. 25, at around 3:30 p.m., the boy and a 16-year-old girl, neither of whom were identified since they are minors, were about to leave when the hard tags on items the teens had not paid for set off the alarms, police said. The manager approached the two teenagers, who were both from Livingston, and told them to hand over their shopping bag so she could check the items inside it against their receipt, police indicated. The manager grabbed the bag, but the boy would not let go, and eventually he pulled on it hard enough that the woman came off her feet and fell down four stairs, injuring her left hand, according to police. The boy then ran out of the store, and police officers arrived and arrested his female companion and charged her with one count of shoplifting, police said. Investigators later contacted the boy’s father to let him know his son was facing charges of shoplifting and robbery. The boy arrived at 9:15 p.m., accompanied by an attorney, and was remanded to the Essex County Youth Detention Center in Newark.

  Assault on police

A man who was questioned by officers as he staggered down Bloomfield Avenue, stabilizing himself against buildings, parking meters and trees, was later arrested and charged with assaulting police, authorities said.

Lander Ceaser, 27, of Montclair, got the attention of a passing officer since he seemed to be having difficulty walking down the avenue, near Hartley Street, at 12:46 a.m. this past Monday, Oct. 27, police said.

The officers who halted Ceaser noticed he smelled of alcohol, and they patted the pedestrian down for their own safety and requested that the dispatcher check for any warrants Ceaser might have, according to authorities. While they waited for the results, the suspect "acted aggressively" toward the officers, raising his voice and using foul language, police said.

Eventually, he lunged toward an officer and was taken to the ground and arrested, according to police. At headquarters, as officers attempted to search him, Ceaser again lunged toward an officer and was restrained until he calmed down, police said.

• Police responding to a burglar alarm at Lili, Meili and Beau, a store on Watchung Plaza, at 3:17 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, found that someone had stolen the cash register. Investigators found the front door to the business unlocked and opened, but there were no signs of forced entry. The owner told officers that an employee who had opened the store on Oct. 20 had accidentally left the key in the door and it was stolen, and after closing that day someone tried to get inside and failed, but left the missing key near the entryway. Police believe the suspect might have copied the key and used it to get in this past Sunday. The stolen register contained about $300.
•  A garage on Gordonhurst Avenue was entered through its side door on Friday, Oct. 24, sometime between 6 and 9 p.m., police said. The burglar stole a $500 pressure washer.