Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Newark Man Sentenced To 15 Years After Smelly 75th Crime
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 24, 2011
Modified Feb 24, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 24, 2011
Modified Feb 24, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Newark man was sentenced to 15 years in prison this week, after he was arrested for a 75th time last month. Eric Warren, 43, has been committing theft-related crimes since 1988; according to police, he has at least 14 aliases, seven criminal convictions, and at least three short stints in jail between 2003 and 2004. But what was lucky crime # 75? What luxury item was too much for him to resist?
Warren was caught and convicted of trying to steal $180 worth of deodorant by shoving the smell sticks down his pants during a Jan. 20 robbery of a Rite-Aid Pharmacy in Kearny. Warren will now have to serve at least 13 years in jail before being up for parole. And because all good bizarre stories come in pairs, a man in Connecticut was also arrested this week for attempting to steal 58 containers of deodorant in his pants. Maybe Warren really had an odor problem, maybe his job required him to wear deodorant...in either case, he should have moved to the land of a thousand terrible local government-protected smells, Portland.
Tagged
deodorant
eric warren
newark
smelly
thief
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
Residents cite sleep disruption and dust-induced illness from nearly ‘round the clock’ construction.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 5:25 p.m. ET
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
Don't be surprised if you run into someone from your building in Beacon.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
News
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
Don't be surprised if you run into someone from your building in Beacon.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
By
Michael Sol Warren
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .