Wood-Ridge officer discovers warrants after seatbelt stop

ONLY ON CVP: A passenger ticketed by a Wood-Ridge police officer for not wearing his seatbelt turned out to be wanted for unpaid child support and other warrants of out Passaic County, authorities said.

Jerry DeMarco

07/16/2014 2:04 p.m.

Officer Mark Torsiello stopped a Honda Accord on South Main Street yesterday afternoon for an obstructed windshield and the driver not wearing his seatbelt, Detective Joseph Rutigliano told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

The passenger — identified as 32-year-old Victor Tavares — wasn’t belted either, he said.

A computer check turned up the warrant from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department for $12,711 in unpaid child support, as well as two criminal warrants — one out of Hawthorne for $946 and another out of Passaic for $842, Rutigliano said.

Tavares was taken into custody and turned over to Passaic County authorities, the detective said.

MUGSHOT: Courtesy WOOD-RIDGE PD

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