Bergen County Man Reports Missing Baby, Then Assaults Police: Cops

PALISADES PARK, NJ — A Palisades Park man was arrested Monday after he falsely reported a baby missing, then attacked police, officials said.

Obel E. Simon-Lopez, 23, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and other offenses in the Oct. 8 incident, said police.

Police say that he called police around 3:30 p.m. on that day to report a 4-month-old baby missing.

Police headed to the apartment building but couldn't find Simon-Lopez at first. Then they found him outside on Broad Avenue, they said.

"He appeared intoxicated and was attempting to conceal a Bacardi bottle inside his sweatshirt," police said.

As Det. Matthew Carley and Officer Julio Mancilla tried to find out about the baby, Simon-Lopez struck Mancilla twice in the arm, police say.

Police tried to arrest him, and he resisted and tried to fight with them, they said.

He also gave a false name to police, and threatened to find the address of one of the officers, go to his house, and kill him, police said.

Detectives soon found the child safe in the custody of a caretaker, police said.

Police determined that Simon-Lopez was drunk and had made a false report, they said.

At headquarters, he head-butted another officer, Fernando Saint-Hilaire, police said.

He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on an officer, resisting arrest, false public alarms, terroristic threats, hindering apprehension, disorderly conduct, and obstructing the administration of the law, police said.

He was taken to Holy Name Hospital for evaluation. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Department responded to the hospital and took him to jail.

Chief George Beck praised teamwork of the detectives and officers, who quickly found the baby "while safely subduing an intoxicated and belligerent individual," said a department spokesperson.