The police dragnet for a suspect wanted for attempted murder surprised residents in northeastern Warren County and neighboring communities as the search for the fugitive spilled over the nearby Sussex County line east into Stillwater Township and north into Walpack Township.
The manhunt began when New Jersey State Police were dispatched for a reported stabbing at a horse farm on Meadow Cliff Lane in Hardwick Township around 10:20 p.m. on Monday, July 1.
Nelson Ariel Orellana-Vargas, 23, allegedly stabbed an unidentified victim before fleeing into the surrounding area on foot overnight, authorities announced the next morning. State troopers led the search and were assisted by nearby police, including the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said Orellana-Vargas was captured late on Tuesday.
But the stabbing and search came as a surprise to some in neighboring Stillwater Township, a hamlet that counts just over 4,000 residents, according to recent census data.
Stillwater resident Juan Mateo Menendez said he had heard about a nearby stabbing, then went on a local Facebook group and read a post from the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office indicating that the fugitive was at large in the area.
“I locked all my doors and I was looking out the window,” Menendez said. “I was just kind of spooked.”
Later, Menendez was working at his home office when he observed a few police cars roll down the driveway. He opened his front door to greet two “fully-equipped” police officers after they knocked.
“They said they were just doing the rounds and let everyone know that if they saw anything or heard anything to give them a call immediately,” Menendez said. “And that, most likely, the person was further away and moving in a different direction from the information that they had. So that kinda gave me some reassurance and I felt a little better.”
“But I kept my doors locked until I knew that they had caught him.”
On Main Street, Dave Glueck, owner of the Stillwater Café, said the restaurant was quiet and he was working in the kitchen that Tuesday afternoon when two plainclothes police officers walked in.
“It was just myself and my waitress here,” Glueck said. “They came in and asked if anybody had been through the café recently, which there wasn’t.”
He told the police officers that he didn’t believe there was anyone in the bathroom when asked, and that they checked themselves to make sure.
“I asked them briefly what was going on and they didn’t seem to have the time to tell me any information,” Glueck said. “About an hour or two later, I found out what they were looking for and I wish I could have helped.”
“It was a little strange, you know,” he said. “I just thought that the more people who know what’s going on, the more eyes and the more ears [to] you know, see something, [and] say something. But I didn’t know what I was looking for.”
During the next wave of customers, many wondered what was going on with all the increased police presence, Glueck said, adding that he counts many retired police officers, including state troopers, among his regular customers.
Morgan Gardiner is a journalist and broadcaster based in Northwest New Jersey. Born and raised in Warren County, Gardiner graduated from McGill University and was previously an on-air newscaster, reporter and producer for WRNJ-AM. When not chasing down a news story, Gardiner fills his time with books, family, friends and traveling.
- Morgan Gardiner, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/morgan-gardiner-contributing-writer/
- Morgan Gardiner, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/morgan-gardiner-contributing-writer/
- Morgan Gardiner, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/morgan-gardiner-contributing-writer/
- Morgan Gardiner, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/morgan-gardiner-contributing-writer/
