A drunk driving incident in Hoboken led to a second arrest of the passenger who was wanted for an unrelated assault, police said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Timothy Bracero, 46, of Union City, was charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, driving while suspended, and failure to use headlights, according to Police Det. Lt. Danilo Cabrera.
Additionally, Richard Francolino, 34, of Secaucus, was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, authorities said.
Yesterday at about 9:54 p.m., communications officers reported to all police units of a hit-and-run in the area of 3rd Street and Willow Avenue. The fleeing vehicle was described as a gold minivan last seen traveling east on 1st Street from Willow Avenue.
Moments later, Lt. Keith Rotondi reported seeing the described vehicle traveling north on Washington Street from 1st Street with heavy front end damage and no headlights on.
Rotondi performed a U-turn, caught up with the vehicle, and conducted a motor vehicle stop in the area of 329 Washington St. At the same time, Police Officers Francis McCourt and Nicklas Valerius arrived as backup.
McCourt approached Bracero and based on his observations, placed the driver under arrest for DWI. Bracero had a passenger in his vehicle known to officers on scene as Francolino. Officers were also aware that Francolino was wanted from an incident that occurred two days prior.
From there, Dets. Fabian Quinones and Connor Milne arrived on scene, confirmed he was still wanted, and placed Francolino under arrest. Both Bracero and Francolino were transported to police headquarters for processing.
On December 15th, at about 1:14 a.m., while in the area of 4th and Willow Avenues, the victim reported a known male identified as Francolino “sprayed some type of chemical agent in her face,” officials said.
The victim reported that she was engaged in a verbal dispute with Francolino and as she turned to walk away, she felt some type of liquid substance hit her face.
The victim reported a burning sensation to her face and walked into Hoboken University Medical Center for treatment.
The Hoboken Police Department was then notified and Officer Domenick Allegretta responded. As a result, a warrant complaint for Francolino’s arrest was issued. After being processed, Francolino was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
Officers Damien Bates and Marc Lombardi responded to the area of the accident and met with the owner of the parked vehicle that was struck. Bracero was held for 12 hours and then released with a court date, police said.
