Newark, NJ cops disarm rampaging man during movie night in park

NEWARK — Police have shared video of a tense standoff during a public movie night, where a 46-year-old city man was threatening bystanders with a knife and large metal pry bar at Weequahic Park.

Watch the video below.

During the event last Wednesday just before 10 p.m., police received multiple calls about the man standing in the crowd of families, in an area where several adults and children were running away from him.

Marcelino Canterero, of Newark, faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

As seen on body camera footage, officers tell the crowd to evacuate and draw their guns, while urging Canterero to drop the weapons.

Eventually, an officer tosses an orange construction barrel at Canterero and another uses pepper spray to finally disarm Canterero.

“We train our police officers to place the utmost value on the sanctity of life, and to use time and distance as a means of tactically de-escalating potentially fatal encounters,” Newark Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara said in a written statement.

“Newark continues to challenge conventional thinking about how police handle highly volatile situations,” he added.

No injuries were reported in the incident.