Hoboken Resident Arrested After Incident At Debate

Hoboken police have charged Lane Bajardi, 39, a frequent visitor to Council and Board of Education meetings, with robbery after an incident at a recent Board of Education debate, according to Detective Lieutenant Mark Competello. 

At the Hoboken blogger Roman Brice, who was covering the debate for his blog Mile Square View, took Bajardi's picture. When Bajardi noticed this, he got up from his seat and walked to the side of the Stevens Institute of Technology classroom where the debate was being held. 

Bajardi asked Brice if he "wanted to play games," to which Brice answered: "Sure I want to play chess," according to the police report. 

Bajardi then allegedly pushed Brice (although the police report on this case indicates otherwise, Brice did not fall to the ground), and grabbed his camera. The next day Brice reported the incident to the police, according to Competello.

"This is not your typical prototype robbery," Competello said in a statement. Still, Brice's account is enough to sustain the charge, Competello said. 

When Brice, 46, got the camera back—and after some words were exchanged between the two—Bajardi walked back to his seat and Brice continued to cover the debate.  

"In incidents of this nature police intervention is minimal and both parties' versions of the incident are heard in court," Competello said in a statement to the press.

A judge will ultimately decide the outcome, he added. Until the matter is decided in a municipal court "Mr. Bajardi is to be afforded the presumption of innocence," Competello said.