BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer
EDISON – A 20-year-old Hispanic woman, under arrest for attempting to steal a car, was found dead in her jail cell Friday morning, according to police.
Belkis Buezo-Lopez, of Plainfield, was found by an Edison detective at 7:25 in the morning apparently having hanged herself from the bars on her cell door with an undisclosed piece of material, according to Lt. Joseph Shannon.
Buezo-Lopez had been arrested at 5:30 that morning on Altamont Road in Edison along with Reginald Lane, a 19-year-old Plainfield resident, after a woman called police over what Shannon described as suspicious activity.
Shannon said the pair was attempting to steal a car parked on Altamont Road. Police arrived and the two suspects fled the scene on foot. They were apprehended and remanded to the Edison Police Department for booking. Shannon said when a detective came to the holding cell where Buezo-Lopez was incarcerated to process her, he found her unresponsive and hanging from the cell bar.
The detective immediately began CPR and emergency personnel were called. The woman was transported to JFK Medical Center where she was pronounced dead around 8:20 a.m., Shannon said.
Shannon said there had been no sign that the woman was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and there was no indication that she might be suicidal. No note or other form of correspondance was left at the scene.
Shannon said that he did not know what the relationship was between the deceased and Lane, nor a reason for Buezo-Lopez to take her own life.
He did say that to his knowledge, nothing like this has happened before to the Edison Police Department.
“It’s tragic,” Shannon said. “It’s rough. It is a tragedy.”
Lane was released on $25,000 bail and charged with receiving stolen property – the car – obstruction of justice, resisting arrest and aggravated assault of a police officer. The final charge was a result of Lane pushing an officer while he was attempting to make the arrest.
Buezo-Lopez had been charged with receiving stolen property and obstruction of justice.
The investigation is still ongoing by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office though representatives from that office could not be reached by press time.