LINDEN –On Monday, at 3 p.m., Edgard Pomales, age 31, of Carteret, was arrested by Linden Police in the Sept. 13 assault of an off-duty Woodbridge police officer at Cheeque’s Lounge, 1230 E. Linden Ave., Linden.
The officer, male, age 37, told police that he was in the bar at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 13 when he was approached by Pomales, who recognized him as an officer.
Pomales allegedly called the officer a derogatory name and pushed him in the chest causing him to fall to the floor. The officer then got up, and after Pomales swung a punch at him, both men wrestled to the floor, before they were separated by bouncers of the establishment. Pomales allegedly continued to act disorderly and was ejected from the bar.
Linden Det. Kevin Mikolajczyk conducted an investigation and was able to obtain an arrest warrant for Pomales. He was entered into a national database as a wanted person.
On Oct. 11, Linden police received a call from agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement who were detaining Pomales at Kennedy Airport in New York as he was about to board an international flight. The arrest warrant was confirmed and he was turned over to Port Authority of NY and NJ officers and taken into custody.
He was subsequently transferred to the custody of the Union County Sheriff’s Department Warrant Squad before being booked at Linden Police headquarters.
Pomales is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, a third degree crime, and was released after posting $10,000 bail. His court date is set for Nov. 4.
The officer involved in the incident suffered cuts and scrapes to his forehead, arms, and right ankle.