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Three injured after gunfight in housing project
Jonathan Casiano | Newark Star Ledger | 9/25/2005

Two Newark police officers patrolling a city housing project early yesterday morning were shot by a 22-year-old man who was high on formaldehyde-soaked marijuana, police said.

Officers Edward Vernotica and Ronald Pohill both were shot in the arm while trying to apprehend Naeem Mitchell, 22, in a Seth Boyden housing project stairwell shortly after midnight. The officers returned fire and struck Mitchell in the hand before convincing him to surrender, police said.

The shooting was the second incident at Seth Boyden in less than two months involving a gunman high on marijuana dipped in embalming fluid, a hallucinogenic combination known as "leek" or "wet," police said.

In August, police shot and killed Ibn Berger, 20, after he shot two people and opened fire on police in the Seth Boyden courtyard. One of the victims later told police he had been smoking leek with Berger immediately prior to the shooting.

Yesterday's shooting came while Vernotica, a 20-year veteran of the force, was conducting a routine patrol of the complex. After seeing Mitchell walk into 105 Center Terrace holding something that looked like a weapon, Vernotica and his partner followed him into the building, police said.

When they reached the second floor, Mitchell fired a single shot at the officers, striking Vernotica in the arm. Pohill, a 15-year veteran, and other officers responded to Vernotica's call for backup. When Pohill reached the second-floor landing, Mitchell fired a second shot, striking Pohill in the arm as well, police said.

The officers returned fire and shot Mitchell in the hand. He surrendered without further incident, police said.

Both officers were taken to University Hospital, where they were treated and released. Mitchell also was treated at University Hospital and charged with five counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault on a police officer and weapons offenses, police said.

Newark Police Director Anthony Ambrose commended the officers yesterday for their courage and restraint.

"Despite the extreme circumstances in which officers were faced with a life or death situation, the officers in the instance were able to peacefully resolve this incident and arrest this dangerous criminal without any further injuries to police, residents or the suspect," Ambrose said.

Similar to mixing marijuana and PCP, drug experts say leek delivers a paralyzing, hallucinogenic high marked by intense paranoia and erratic, or even psychotic, behavior. Smoking leek, an extreme carcinogen, can cause brain damage, lung damage and a permanent dulling of the senses, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The drug combination has been used for decades, but law enforcement officials and substance abuse counselors say use has surged in recent years, especially among teenagers looking to take their marijuana high to the next level.

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troublemaker_42

Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't embalming fluid SLANG for PCP? From what I've always understood, no one actually smokes formaldehyde. Of course, I may very well be correct....the media isn't too concerned with accuracy when dealing with drugs. After all, wouldn't this article headline be worded diferntly if they weren't trying to put the blame at least partially on cannabis?

teufelfisch

You are absolutely correct. This is a common misperception among the media. Embalming Fluid is slang for PCP. Formaldehyde, the chemical used in the past to preserve dead tissue, is toxic, corrosive, and won't get you high.

It's also a common, propagated myth that users of PCP-soaked marijuana frequently go on violent rampages like the one described here. While the combination of psychoactives may unlock the homicidal maniacal tendencies of a few, it certainly does not happen frequently. However, it CAN happen, and as a result I say it's best to avoid a substance if you don't know how you're going to react, especially when the substance has only been around for less than a century.

Lacing marijuana with anything is rare. When it is done, it is most often done for the psychoactive properties of the other substance, not the marijuana. However, in cases like these, the marijuana takes all the blame-- despite only being a method of ingesting the other substance.

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teufelfisch

If marijuana was legal, teenagers would not need to seek other substances to take their high to the next level.

doony

pcp is something totally diffrent what they are refurning to in my neck of the woods is called a wicky stick no has done any of that since the late 80s and teenagers shouldnt be doing dope in the first place . our laws are all mest up there were two cops how they come up with 5 counts of attempt murder when he shoot them both in the arms . just shows that our goverment can charge you with anything they want to...

 

Buzzby

Do you suppose this stupid criminal was trying to shoot police officers in the arm? The only reason it was attempted murder and not murder is because the idiot was too high to shoot straight.

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Dan71

you guys up top are wrong man. as stupid as it is people do smoke embalming fluid laced pot. and yes it is toxic and corrosive. hell you cant even keep it in one bag for too long because the **** eats through the bag. they sell marijuana soaked with it which is kalled boat and ciggarettes dipped in it but i forgot what the y call those but yea pcp and embalming fluid are two completely different things.

reggie_the_dog

First off, this guy committed attempted murder from what I read, shooting at cops seems like attempted murder to me, this guy is a menace to the public, if he would shoot the cops he would probably shoot civilians too.

having said that PCP, from what I saw in limited use, usually causes people to get so high they do not leave the sofa. This guy probably had pre-existing underlying issues.

The article seems to blame the drug for the attempted murder, I am sorry, but I dont care what drug you take, i dont care if you are drunk, if you start shooting a gun in town YOU MAKE A CONCIOUS DECISION TO ENDANGER THE LIVES OF OTHERS and you should be dealt with harshly TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW.

If you are lucky enough not to hit anyone with the bullets I believe there is still a charge called RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT.

king cola

"Formaldehyde, the chemical used in the past to preserve dead tissue, is toxic, corrosive, and won't get you high."

That is true, a few years ago there were cases in which pot was being found to have been laced with embalming fluid to make people think the pot was strong. It's nothing new, but i haven't heard of people going on violent rampages from using it until now. If anything it sounds more like PCP type of behavior but i could be wrong.

There were reports out awhile back that people who were smoking weed with embalming fluid were ending up in the hospital because it made them sick.

This guy could have been a nutcase to begin with. The thing is i heard of pot being laced with embalming fluid awhile ago and yet i never heard of people going on violent rampages over it until this story. They told the cops they smoked embalming fluid but for all we know they could have made that up to avoid going to receive help for PCP addiction. It's possible they may have smoked both but left out that they also used PCP. I really think it was PCP that caused them to go on a rampage though.

It really is stupid that some people lace pot with embalming fluid but Dan71 is right it's actually happens. It might have been 4 or 5 years ago when i first heard of that going on and there were reports of people getting sick from it. I haven't really heard about any of this happening in probably 2 or 3 years, maybe more.

If pot were legalized and regulated, the pot would not be laced. The person smoking the pot could always lace it themself but otherwise people who want straight up pot would have it clean by getting it in a store or by being allowed to grow their own.

These guys knew it was laced though and were smoking it, it wasn't like someone bought a bag of it not knowing what was in it and went nuts.

Marijuana isn't to blame for this going on, it's the people themselves to blame.

ssj3gotenks

Exactly, good job reggie, you are a worthy activist. People need to know that if we have any chance of getting bud legalized, we need to keep in mind that we are responsible for our own actions. Obviously, these guys in Newark, probably thought weed should be legal but were just hurting our chances.

Second of all, Embalming fluid is formaldehyde, NOT phencyclidine (pcp). To prove my point pcp is a Schedule II controlled substance. formaldehyde, is not in schedules I through V and therefore, is not a controlled substance