A Staten Island man lost more than money during a recent trip to Atlantic City.
Nicholas Kirsheh, 28, was ordered held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility this week, after he racked up 15 charges in 11 days.
Police first released Kirsheh on summonses, but it was a dangerous drive through city streets in a vehicle with no license plates that led to him being taken into custody.
“The current charges describe a dangerous campaign of repeatedly eluding police in an unregistered vehicle by careening through red lights, driving over curbs and sidewalks, endangering pedestrians including children and intentionally driving directly at several officers,” Assistant Prosecutor James Brown told the judge at Kirsheh’s detention hearing Monday.
Officer Dylan Perez first saw Kirsheh get into his black Hyundai Accent on April 6, and activated his lights, commanding Kirsheh to pull over, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC.
Instead, Kirsheh took off, nearly striking Perez and his marked patrol car as the wanted man headed east on Pacific Avenue, the affidavit states.
Kirsheh then headed back around the block, trying to strike Officer Kleovoulos Zissimopoulos, Perez wrote. Kirsheh missed, drove into an empty lot and then jumped the curb to head back east on Pacific.
Several other officers’ attempts to stop Kirsheh were terminated as his driving became more dangerous, nearly striking several cars, and almost hitting a pedestrian with small children, other affidavits stated.
He finally was found at Albany and Pacific avenues, where he again refused to stop, and drove into the fenced in parking lot at Stockton University.
Kirsheh then got out of his vehicle, and asked police why they were chasing him before being taken into custody.
“That dangerous odyssey was merely the capstone to defendant’s week,” Brown told Judge Dorothy Garrabrant.
Police first were called March 28, when Kirsheh drove through a casino parking gate. It was not clear which casino that was.
He was released on a summons, only for police to be called to the Hard Rock two days later, when Kirsheh allegedly reached at his waistband and threatened security officers that he was going to “get his blickie (gun).”
Again, he was released on a summons.
Police were called to the Borgata on April 3, after the previously trespassed Kirsheh allegedly smashed a glass bottle on the marble walkway and then threatened to stab security personnel trying to escort him out.
Another summons.
Three days later, the chase through the city happened.
Nicholas Kirsheh reacted throughout the detention hearing.
But the charges did not stop there.
Kirsheh then got a charge for refusing to be fingerprinted after the system malfunctioned the first time.
He then added a new case when he allegedly threatened and assaulted the officer bringing him to the jail.
“During the transport (he) repeatedly stated that once the handcuffs come off, he would f— me up,” Officer Michael Peters wrote in that affidavit.
When Kirsheh got out of the van, he bumped his chest with full force into Peters, and then headbutted the right side of the officer’s face, the affidavit states. Kirsheh also spit on the officer twice.
“The real question is, why? Why is this all occurring?” defense attorney John Bjorklund said. “Something obviously is going on. I don’t think he has just great disdain for law enforcement.”
Kirsheh came to Atlantic City to gamble, Bjorklund told the judge.
He lost his money, had not slept for “many, many nights” and pawned his jewelry at a local pawn shop.
“He’s about to lose all the belongings he had,” Bjorklund added. “He’s from Staten Island. He wants to go back to Staten Island.”
It seems, Staten Island wants him too.
Kirsheh — whose last name is listed as Kirshen in some records — was found to have a fugitive warrant out of there, court records show.
But he will not be heading back any time soon, as the judge ordered Kirsheh held.
The defendant was animated throughout the hearing, as he appeared via video from the jail.
At one point he seemed to yell, “It’s a lie! It’s a f—ing lie,” although he was muted.
When the judge made her decision, Kirsheh could be seen yelling, stepping toward the camera as he continued. A corrections officer had to come in and remove him.