Aldo Passalacqua
A Pleasantville man is accused of running a drug den out of the home he shared with his 13-year-old son.
Aldo Passalacqua, 41, was ordered held in jail Wednesday, after a judge deemed him a danger to his children and community.
An investigation into Passalacqua led to a search of his home Oct. 22, when police found him in his bedroom, which Chief Assistant Prosecutor Allison Eiselen said had been turned into a "one-stop shop" for purchasing and using intravenous drugs.
A lock on the bedroom door required a fingerprint to enter, with investigators finding hundreds of syringes "loaded" with methamphetamine "ready to inject," according to the affidavit of probable cause read at Passalacqua's detention hearing.
A large television screen displayed views from exterior surveillance video cameras, with more cameras in the bedroom, the affidavit said.
There were also hundreds of unused clear baggies, bowls and scooping equipment with drug residue, baking soda, fentanyl test strips and other drug-use and drug-distribution paraphernalia, along with hundreds of used and discarded syringes, Eiselen said.
But defense attorney John Bjorklund insisted his client is a drug addict who did drugs with his friends, and that there was no proof he was running any kind of drug-manufacturing facility.
He noted that no money was found, indicating large drug sales, taking issue with the first-degree charge of running a drug-manufacturing facility charge.
"We have a drug user and his friends in his bedroom behind locked doors secreted away from children," Bjorklund said.
There also is a plan in place with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency for Passalacqua. Two other children live with their mother.
The 13-year-old was in the home when police came, according to Eiselen.
Passalacqua was in his bedroom with two women. He admitted to detectives that he had just bought less than an ounce of methamphetamine hours before the raid. It was found in a safe in the bedroom.
The public safety assessment used to determine whether someone should be held under bail reform recommended he be released with monthly court check-ins.
But Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Wilson said the assessment did not take into account the seriousness of the issue, including the presence of the minor.
"The coming and going of these folks to participate in the sharing of drugs while this child is around is very concerning," Wilson said. "If anything were to happen that could have left a 13-year-old child unable to get assistance."
"Was this a drug den? Was this a shooting gallery?" the judge asked. "The safety of these people who are coming in to share his drugs, the safety of our community that has to put up with this kind of activity going on in our neighborhoods is of great concern to the court."
Wilson did recommend Passalacqua have an assessment and apply to the Recovery Court.
He will now remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending the outcome of his case.
