BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. – A Palisades Park man has been arrested in connection with a January 7 rock-throwing incident on the New Jersey Turnpike that caused damage to a vehicle and led to a multi-agency investigation, authorities said.
According to New Jersey State Police, 40-year-old Hernando Garciamorales was taken into custody earlier today after troopers and local law enforcement located him at a self-made campsite in Old Croaker County Park. Investigators say Garciamorales is believed to be responsible for throwing rocks at vehicles traveling northbound on the Turnpike before Exit 70 A/B.
The New Jersey State Police Target Hardening Unit UAS Response Squad and Troop “D” Criminal Investigation Office worked with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Bogota Police Department, and Teaneck Police Department to track down the suspect. Officials also linked Garciamorales to multiple similar rock-throwing incidents in Bogota Borough.
Garciamorales faces charges including aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief, resisting arrest by flight, and hindering. He is being held at the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing.