Friday, July 30, 2021
NEWARK, NJ - Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara reports the arrest of Marcelino Canterero, 46, of Newark,
for threatening bystanders at Weequahic Park Wednesday night.
“I commend
Officers Nice and Adams for exercising appropriate restraint and applying minimum force during this imminent threat to the safety of families at Weequahic Park,” Director O’Hara said. “Although the suspect was wielding a knife and a large pry bar in the midst of a community event where children were present, these officers were able to successfully use their de-escalation training, including verbal commands,
maintaining a safe distance and calling in additional resources, to safely make the arrest without causing any
injury to the suspect.”
At approximately 9:45 p.m., Newark police patrolling Elizabeth Avenue were alerted to an incident at an
event inside Weequahic Park. Multiple individuals reported that a man with a knife was in the crowd of
families attending a community Movie Night. A woman directed police to the suspect, who was in an area
where several adults and children were running away from him. Officers observed Canterero, holding the
knife and pry bar and immediately ordered bystanders to evacuate the park. The officers also drew their
service weapons due to the threat of injury he posed to the families inside the park.
The officers used an orange construction barrel as a personal protection shield and as a means of causing the
suspect to drop his weapons. Because he continued to hold the knife and pry bar, officers deployed OC spray
and finally gained his compliance. Canterero was arrested without further incident. He faces charges of
unlawful possession of weapon, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
“We train our police officers to place the utmost value on the sanctity of life, and to use time and distance as
a means of tactically de-escalating potentially fatal encounters,” Director O’Hara added. “I am extremely
pleased that yet again Newark officers rose to the occasion by slowing the situation down and employing
less-lethal methods to safely bring this person into custody. Newark continues to challenge conventional
thinking about how police handle highly volatile situations.”
These charges are merely accusations. The suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
