Neighborhood watch?

Residents nab man charged with damaging their cars.

By:Alec Moore
   A Somerville resident was charged with criminal mischief after he was chased down by the owner of one of the vehicles he allegedly damaged, police say
   A 61-year-old man, who allegedly vandalized two cars and fled in his pickup truck, was chased on foot by the cars’ owners — one of whom jumped onto the back of the moving truck, broke the rear window and put the suspect into a headlock until police arrived, police said.
   Maximo Antonio Mateo of West End Avenue in Somerville was charged May 11 with two counts of third-degree criminal mischief and one count of driving while intoxicated, police said.
   According to police, an unidentified resident of the Wildflower Lane townhouse complex saw Mr. Mateo vandalize two cars parked at the complex and called police at 12:21 a.m.
   That resident, police said, observed a man letting the air out of the tires of a 1998 Jaguar. The witness also saw the vandal scratch the exterior of the car parked next to the Jaguar — a 2001 Honda Prelude — with a sharp metallic object, police said. The witness told police the vandal then got into a 1997 Mazda pickup truck and drove away.
   Police said each vehicle sustained a minimum of $500 worth of damage.
   After calling police, the witness informed the owner of the Jaguar, Slawomir Krajewski, 27, about the incident. Mr. Krajewski then told his neighbor, Antonio Blazevige, the owner of the Prelude, of what had just happened.
   While Mr. Krajewski and Mr. Blazevige were outside waiting for police, they saw Mr. Mateo slowly drive through the parking lot in the same pickup truck he had been seen in minutes earlier, police said. Both men shouted at him to stop, but he did not, and the two residents chased the truck on foot.
   Mr. Blazevige caught up to the truck, jumped into the back and ordered the driver to stop, police said. Mr. Mateo then accelerated and swerved in an effort to throw the 19-year-old man out of the truck, police said.
   Mr. Blazevige managed to remain onboard, however, and broke the rear window of the truck, police said. He then reached through the opening and put the driver in a headlock, police said.
   With Mr. Mateo restrained in the headlock, Mr. Blazevige again ordered him to stop and this time, he complied, police said. Mr. Blazevige continued to restrain him until police arrived.
   Mr. Mateo allegedly told police he vandalized the Jaguar because he believed the owner of the car was involved with a woman of whom he was fond, police said. He told police he vandalized the Prelude because he believed the owner of the Prelude was a friend of the man who owned the Jaguar, police said.
   Police said Mr. Mateo deflated two of the Jaguar’s tires, scratched nearly the entire body of the car, smashed several eggs on it, and broke the car’s radio antenna. The Prelude sustained numerous scratches along one side of the car.
   After being processed at Hillsborough police headquarters, Mr. Mateo complained of neck pain and was transported to Somerset County Medical Center. He was later released from the hospital and taken to the Somerset County Jail, where he has since been released on bail pending a court appearance.