By: Richard L. Smith
A shoplifting case quickly escalated into a violent confrontation involving a knife at the Willowbrook Mall, ending with the arrest of a Dover man now facing multiple criminal charges.
According to information provided by Wayne Police, officers responded to the Macy’s department store on Saturday afternoon following a report that a suspected shoplifter had assaulted store staff and threatened them with a weapon.
Officers Daniel McLaughlin, Skyler Gomez, and James Jurewicz arrived on the scene shortly after 12:30 p.m. to find the suspect already restrained by Macy’s loss prevention personnel.
Loss prevention officers told police that the suspect had been seen concealing fragrance items in a backpack and attempting to leave the store without paying.
When they confronted him beyond the store’s sales area, he allegedly became combative, biting and headbutting staff members before pulling a knife from his pants pocket.
Despite the threat, the store security team managed to subdue and restrain him until police arrived.
The suspect was identified as 50-year-old Orlando Ocampo Gallo of Dover, New Jersey.
During processing, police discovered that Ocampo Gallo was also carrying two counterfeit Social Security cards and a fake U.S. permanent resident card. All fraudulent documents were seized as evidence.
He now faces a series of serious charges, including robbery, shoplifting, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, aggravated assault, and possession of false government documents.
Ocampo Gallo was charged on a complaint warrant and transported to the Passaic County Jail Intake Hub, where he awaits a detention hearing.
