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Hector Carlos Lora

SEE ANYTHING? Grandmother Of 13 Struck Crossing Passaic Street Dies, Hit-And-Run Driver Sought SEE ANYTHING? Grandmother Of 13 Struck Crossing Passaic Street Dies, Hit-And-Run Driver Sought
SEE Anything? Grandmother Of 13 Struck Crossing Passaic Street Dies, Hit-And-Run Driver Sought A grandmother of 13 died from injuries that she suffered when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Passaic a day and a half earlier, authorities confirmed. Meanwhile, her killer remained unidentified. Rachel McNeil, 58, was struck at the intersection of Passaic and Aycrigg avenues at 11:13 p.m. Wednesday, April 10. The driver kept going. McNeil died shortly after noontime Friday, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Department Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint release. McNeil, who worked at St. Mary's General Hospital not far from where she was s…
Two Trapped, Killed In Fierce Passaic Apartment Fire Two Trapped, Killed In Fierce Passaic Apartment Fire
Two Trapped, Killed In Fierce Passaic Apartment Fire Two people were killed in a ferocious garden apartment fire in Passaic on Sunday. The fire apparently broke out on the first floor in back of the two-story Spruce Street building and instantly spread to the second floor and a cockloft -- trapping the victims -- shortly before 9:30 a.m. March 3. A vehicle just outside the brick structure also caught fire. A battalion chief reported heavy fire and smoke right from the get-go. The adult victims' bodies were found soon after, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. They were pronounced dead at the scene. 16 Spruce Street, Passaic Damien …
Smoky Post-Christmas House Fire Ravages Passaic Home Smoky Post-Christmas House Fire Ravages Passaic Home
Smoky Post-Christmas House Fire Ravages Passaic Home A smoky house fire in Passaic went to four alarms the day after Christmas. No injuries were immediately reported in the blaze, which ignited in a Van Buren Street home near Central Avenue around 11 a.m., Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. "All tenants are reported to be out and safe," the mayor said around noon. "Nobody appears to be in the building." Firefighters were quickly removed after a partial ceiling collapse, Lora said. They had two ladder trucks and multiple hand lines in operation. Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE Although smoke met them at the scene, the fire may have b…
Firefighters Hospitalized, Blaze Destroys Passaic Home As Temps Break 90 Degrees Firefighters Hospitalized, Blaze Destroys Passaic Home As Temps Break 90 Degrees
Firefighters Hospitalized, Blaze Destroys Passaic Home As Temps Break 90 Degrees Four firefighters were hospitalized after battling an intense five-alarm blaze that destroyed a multi-family home amid blistering temperatures Wednesday afternoon in Passaic. The quartet was believed to be getting treatment for heat exhaustion, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said from the scene of the fire on Union Avenue between Park Avenue and Spring Street. One was brought out and rushed to the hospital by ambulance following a mayday call. The extent of injuries couldn't be immediately determined. 67 Union Avenue, PassaicJeff Gumbman / INSET: Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora Onl…
.44 Magnum Recovered From Violent Ex-Con Shot By Passaic Police: Prosecutor .44 Magnum Recovered From Violent Ex-Con Shot By Passaic Police: Prosecutor
.44 Magnum Recovered From Violent Ex-Con Shot By Passaic Police: Prosecutor UPDATE: A violent ex-con who’d fired several shots into the air from a .44 Magnum was brought down by a Passaic police officer last week after he pointed the powerful pistol at the officer's partner, authorities said. Jason Urban, 42, of Passaic was carrying the revolver made famous by Clint Eastwood’s character in the movie “Dirty Harry” when officers responding to a call of shots fired at Lackawanna Place and Passaic Avenue near the city train station found him shortly before 6:30 p.m. May 10, they said. Urban “fired several rounds from the handgun into the air,” Passaic County Prosecuto…
UPDATE: State Authorities Leave Review Of Armed Gunman's Shooting By Passaic PD To Prosecutor UPDATE: State Authorities Leave Review Of Armed Gunman's Shooting By Passaic PD To Prosecutor
Update: State Authorities Leave Review Of Armed Gunman's Shooting By Passaic PD To Prosecutor UPDATE: State authorities signaled their faith Thursday that the wounding of an armed man by a Passaic police officer on Wednesday was what everyone involved agrees was a clean shoot. A mandatory review of the incident that is required of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has been left in the hands of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the prosecutor herself said on May 11. Officers responding to a call of a man shooting a gun in the area of Passaic Avenue and Lackawanna Place near the train station encountered the suspect shortly before 6:30 p.m. May 10, Passaic Mayor …
UPDATE: Gunman Shot By Police In Passaic Expected To Survive UPDATE: Gunman Shot By Police In Passaic Expected To Survive
Update: Gunman Shot By Police In Passaic Expected To Survive UPDATE: State authorities signaled their faith Thursday that the wounding of an armed man by a Passaic police officer on Wednesday was what everyone involved agrees was a clean shoot. A mandatory review of the incident that is required of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has been left in the hands of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the prosecutor herself said on Thursday, May 11. Officers responding to a call of a man shooting a gun in the area of Passaic Avenue and Lackawanna Place near the train station encountered the suspect shortly before 6:30 p.m. May 10, Pass…
Fleeing Wrong-Way Driver Captured After Ramming Passaic Police Cars, Civilian Vehicles Fleeing Wrong-Way Driver Captured After Ramming Passaic Police Cars, Civilian Vehicles
Fleeing Wrong-Way Driver Captured After Ramming Passaic Police Cars, Civilian Vehicles Thankfully no one was hurt in a wild pursuit in the City of Passaic in which several vehicles were struck by an out-of-control driver. The driver was captured after hitting two police vehicles while going the wrong way down a one-way street and then mistakenly turning into a dead end Thursday night, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Carlos A. Tejada, 29, was headed down Jefferson Street from Main Avenue when his vehicle struck a police unit occupied by an officer coming from the opposite direction near Hope Avenue around 8 p.m. April 27, Lora said. Tejada hit another police car a…
UPDATE: Victim, 40, Reported Stable After Bus Stop Stabbing In Passaic, Assailants Sought UPDATE: Victim, 40, Reported Stable After Bus Stop Stabbing In Passaic, Assailants Sought
Update: Victim, 40, Reported Stable After Bus Stop Stabbing In Passaic, Assailants Sought A 40-year-old man was reported in stable condition after being stabbed at a bus stop in Passaic. A Be On the Lookout was issued for a white Porsche Cayenne occupied by two males and a female following the stabbing on Main Avenue at Burgess Place, around the corner from Grand Elementary School, around 2 p.m. Thursday, April 27. Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora was at the scene, "making sure everything's going smoothly around the school." There was no immediate danger to anyone in the area, he said, adding that police were actively investigating the incident. The area at the bus stop on…
Juvenile Trio Knock Down Elderly Woman, Chased Down By Passaic PD Juvenile Trio Knock Down Elderly Woman, Chased Down By Passaic PD
Juvenile Trio Knock Down Elderly Woman, Chased Down By Passaic PD A Passaic senior citizen was injured when three shoplifting teens knocked her down, said police who captured the trio soon after. The victim was bruised but otherwise OK after the incident on Jefferson Street with the boys -- two from Newark, one from Lodi, ages 17, 16 and 13, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. One of them is a convicted delinquent with a robbery history who recently cut off a monitoring bracelet while on house arrest, the mayor said. The juvenile tried to escape by scampering across rooftops and climbing fences, but patrol officers chased them down, he said. Police w…
Stubborn Fire Clears New Passaic Shopping Development Stubborn Fire Clears New Passaic Shopping Development
Stubborn Fire Clears New Passaic Shopping Development Firefighters doused a stubborn blaze Thursday at the recently redeveloped Brook Haven Mall in Passaic. Although an investigation was continuing, a welder's torch appear responsible for igniting the fire in an unfinished area of the Terhune Avenue building's enormous basement shortly after 9 a.m. March 9, Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost said. Firefighters quickly gained control of the blaze, which extended to a loading dock, but had to keep searching for the source while contending with 60,000 feet of basement smoke, the chief said. It was a labor-intensive job, he said, adding that c…
PHOTOS: Gas-Fed Fire Destroys Multi-Family, Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Dozens Displaced PHOTOS: Gas-Fed Fire Destroys Multi-Family, Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Dozens Displaced
Photos: Gas-Fed Fire Destroys Multi-Family, Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Dozens Displaced An overnight fire that shot through the roof of a multi-family, mixed-use building in Passaic was initially fueled by gas-fed flames from a first-floor apartment, officials said. No injuries were reported and 65 residents were displaced, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said, adding that the "strategic positioning of trucks" around the building kept the situation from becoming far worse "Hundreds of lives could have been impacted," the mayor said outside the Hamilton Avenue building -- across from the No. 6 school -- early Friday, Oct. 14. Aftermath of the fire at Hamilton and Madison avenues.…
‘Praying No One Was In There’: Fire Destroys Abandoned Passaic Home, Squatter Search Continues ‘Praying No One Was In There’: Fire Destroys Abandoned Passaic Home, Squatter Search Continues
‘Praying No One Was In There’: Fire Destroys Abandoned Passaic Home, Squatter Search Continues Authorities were hoping no squatters were inside a vacant Passaic home destroyed by fire on Wednesday. “The property was abandoned,” Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said after firefighters doused the blaze at Main Avenue and Temple Place. “However we are investigating and still searching to confirm whether it was empty. “I am praying no one was in there.” Flames were blowing through the roof of the dilapidated 2½-story home when firefighters arrived shortly after 7 a.m. They were forced into an exterior attack right from the jump, as the roof, floors and exterior sections began to fall in. Fir…
'Swatting' Forces Passaic Grandma, 95, From Her Home As Tactical Units Respond To Bogus Call 'Swatting' Forces Passaic Grandma, 95, From Her Home As Tactical Units Respond To Bogus Call
'Swatting' Forces Passaic Grandma, 95, From Her Home As Tactical Units Respond To Bogus Call A 95-year-old grandmother and a woman in her 60s had to be temporarily removed from their Passaic home on a frigid night because of a bogus "swatting" call to police, authorities said. The call came in shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, from someone who "stated that he harmed his wife and child and had his neighbor hostage" at the Poplar Street home, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Police set up a perimeter and eventually escorted the two women to an ambulance to keep them warm, the mayor said. Neighbors also had to spend some time outside as members of the Emergency Respons…
3 Adults, 2 Kids Hospitalized As Fire Roars Through Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Mayor Says 3 Adults, 2 Kids Hospitalized As Fire Roars Through Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Mayor Says
3 Adults, 2 Kids Hospitalized As Fire Roars Through Mixed-Use Building In Passaic, Mayor Says UPDATE: Three adults and two children were hospitalized as a fierce fire roared through the upper floors of a mixed-use building in Passaic late Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Flames blew out the second-floor windows in the middle of three brick buildings that each house street-level businesses off the corner of Main and Harrison avenues. Being treated at St. Mary's Hospital for smoke inhalation were five victims, Lora said: A 65-year-old woman, another woman in her 40s, a 19-year-old man and two children.  Firefighters contained the blaze to the single building, the …
UPDATE: Massive Passaic Warehouse Blaze Stopped From Reaching 50 Tons Of Chlorine UPDATE: Massive Passaic Warehouse Blaze Stopped From Reaching 50 Tons Of Chlorine
Update: Massive Passaic Warehouse Blaze Stopped From Reaching 50 Tons Of Chlorine UPDATE: Authorities on Saturday said they'd finally gotten a massive industrial complex fire in Passaic under control nearly a dozen hours after it broke out. More than 200 firefighters fought the 11-alarm blaze, which forced evacuations of nearby homes, sent potentially dangerous smoke into the air and prompted officials to urge residents to keep their windows closed. The smoke reportedly was spotted on weather radar. Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora called the fire “the worst that I’ve ever seen.” Fortunately, he said, firefighters were able to keep the flames from releasing toxic fume…
Fire Ravages One Multi-Family Home, Damages Another In Passaic Fire Ravages One Multi-Family Home, Damages Another In Passaic
Fire Ravages One Multi-Family Home, Damages Another In Passaic A vicious fire raced through one multi-family home and damaged another in Passaic early Wednesday evening. The blaze began in the basement, then ran up the walls and blew through the roof of one Harrison Street home shortly after 5 p.m. An estimated 80 or so firefighters from Passaic and Bergen counties flocked to the scene as the blaze continued to burn past 7:30 p.m. It was declared under control shortly before 8 p.m. No serious injuries were reported. A total of 15 people in five families were affected, said Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora, who was at the scene. The city will do al…
One Confirmed Dead As Smoky Fire Consumes Passaic Restaurant One Confirmed Dead As Smoky Fire Consumes Passaic Restaurant
One Confirmed Dead As Smoky Fire Consumes Passaic Restaurant A woman was confirmed dead in a fire Wednesday afternoon that devoured a Dominican restaurant in Passaic. She was 58 years old and lived in a two-bedroom rear apartment of Santo Domingo Invita on Passaic Street where the fire originated, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Flames blew through the roof of the 1½ -story brick building after the fire ignited shortly before 3:30 p.m. Firefighters had the main body of the blaze knocked down in under an hour but continued battling flame pockets. It was then that they discovered the victim's remains amid the debris. "The medical examiner responded t…
CONFIRMED: Male, Female Bodies Pulled From Passaic River Are Couple Drowned By Ida CONFIRMED: Male, Female Bodies Pulled From Passaic River Are Couple Drowned By Ida
Confirmed: Male, Female Bodies Pulled From Passaic River Are Couple Drowned By Ida UPDATE: The New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office on Friday positively identified two bodies pulled from the Passaic River over the previous two days as a former high school prom king and queen swept away in Hurricane Ida's floodwaters last week. A search for Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21, had ended when the medical examiner's office finally confirmed their identities Friday afternoon based on dental and medical records, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Nidhi and Ayush were swept into a storm drain that empties into the river after getting out of their car on Main Street during l…
CONFIRMED: Male, Female Bodies Pulled From Passaic River Are Couple Drowned By Ida CONFIRMED: Male, Female Bodies Pulled From Passaic River Are Couple Drowned By Ida
Confirmed: Male, Female Bodies Pulled From Passaic River Are Couple Drowned By Ida CONFIRMED: The New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office on Friday positively identified two bodies pulled from the Passaic River over the previous two days as a former high school prom king and queen swept away in Hurricane Ida's floodwaters last week. A search for Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21, had ended when the medical examiner's office finally confirmed their identities Friday afternoon based on dental and medical records, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Nidhi and Ayush were swept into a storm drain that empties into the river after getting out of their car on Main Street durin…
STILL MISSING: Search For Former Passaic Prom King, Queen Helped By Lowest Tide In Days STILL MISSING: Search For Former Passaic Prom King, Queen Helped By Lowest Tide In Days
Still Missing: Search For Former Passaic Prom King, Queen Helped By Lowest Tide In Days UPDATE (SEPT. 10): The New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office on Friday positively identified two bodies pulled from the Passaic River over the previous two days as a former high school prom king and queen swept away in Hurricane Ida's floodwaters last week. CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY.... ****** UPDATE: With the Passaic River tide the lowest its been since before Tropical Storm Ida, authorities resumed on Saturday their search for a former prom king and queen. The Passaic couple, Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21, apparently were swept into a storm drain that empties into the river after get…
STILL MISSING: Search Intensifies For Young Passaic Couple Swept Away In Ida's Floodwaters STILL MISSING: Search Intensifies For Young Passaic Couple Swept Away In Ida's Floodwaters
Still Missing: Search Intensifies For Young Passaic Couple Swept Away In Ida's Floodwaters UPDATE (SEPT. 10): The New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office on Friday positively identified two bodies pulled from the Passaic River over the previous two days as a former high school prom king and queen swept away in Hurricane Ida's floodwaters last week. CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY.... ****** UPDATE (SATURDAY): With the Passaic River tide the lowest its been since before Tropical Storm Ida struck, authorities resumed their search for a former prom king and queen swept away in floodwaters. The Passaic couple, Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21, apparently were swept into a storm drain that …
Passaic Teen’s Accused Murderer ID’d Passaic Teen’s Accused Murderer ID’d
Passaic Teen’s Accused Murderer ID’d UPDATE: Civilians helped Passaic police capture a 21-year-old city man accused of gunning down a local teen beneath a Route 21 overpass, authorities said. The city Police Intelligence Unit and Detective Bureau, in tandem with the Patrol Division and Special Investigations Division united, "fielded leads directly from the community" that led directly to Philip Sparrow, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. City police arrested Sparrow – and recovered the suspected murder weapon – during an 8 p.m. traffic stop Tuesday on Paulison Avenue, authorities said. They stopped the vehicle on Pauliso…
Authorities: Accused Gunman Captured In Daytime Shooting Death Of Passaic Teen Authorities: Accused Gunman Captured In Daytime Shooting Death Of Passaic Teen
Authorities: Accused Gunman Captured In Daytime Shooting Death Of Passaic Teen UPDATE: With significant help from the community, Passaic police arrested a 21-year-old man who they believe shot and killed a city teen beneath a Route 21 overpass Tuesday afternoon. Responding officers had found Amar Sultan, 18, with several gunshot wounds on Madison Street near Vreeland Avenue shortly after 2 p.m. He'd been struck in the abdomen, responders told Daily Voice. Sultan was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic, where he was pronounced dead at 4:45 p.m., Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman said in a joint r…
Young Man Shot Dead In Passaic Young Man Shot Dead In Passaic
Young Man Shot Dead In Passaic UPDATE: Civilians helped Passaic police capture a 21-year-old city man accused of gunning down a local teen beneath a Route 21 overpass, authorities said. The city Police Intelligence Unit and Detective Bureau, in tandem with the Patrol Division and Special Investigations Division united, "fielded leads directly from the community" that led directly to Philip Sparrow, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. City police arrested Sparrow – and recovered the suspected murder weapon – during an 8 p.m. traffic stop Tuesday on Paulison Avenue, authorities said. They stopped the vehicle on Pauliso…
DWI Clubgoer Hits Passaic Police Car, Parked Vehicles, People, Authorities Say DWI Clubgoer Hits Passaic Police Car, Parked Vehicles, People, Authorities Say
DWI Clubgoer Hits Passaic Police Car, Parked Vehicles, People, Authorities Say A drunken patron was arrested after his sedan slammed into a Passaic police car and two other vehicles as left a local nightclub, authorities said. Four pedestrians claimed they also were hit by the 2002 Toyota Camry outside the Fiesta Night Club on President Street shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Police Chief Luis Guzman said. All four left, however, before ambulances got there or police could get any information from them, he said. Officers assigned to make sure closing time went smoothly heard a loud crash and spotted the Camry, driven by city resident Nicholas Martinez, 21, Guzman sai…
‘Going To Be Fighting This Fire Next Few Days,’ Passaic Mayor Says Of Massive Blaze ‘Going To Be Fighting This Fire Next Few Days,’ Passaic Mayor Says Of Massive Blaze
‘Going To Be Fighting This Fire Next Few Days,’ Passaic Mayor Says Of Massive Blaze UPDATE: A massive, multi-alarm blaze that consumed a Passaic recycling company continued burning into late morning Saturday as firefighters fought raging flames along with bitter cold. All of the workers at Atlantic Coast Fibers plant on 7th Street got out OK and no serious injuries were reported in the inferno, which began shortly after 11 p.m. Friday. A firefighter was hospitalized with an undisclosed injury, and the Passaic County prosecutor’s arson unit responded because of the size and amount of damage caused by the blaze, authorities said. In an eerie coincidence, the fire broke out…
Mayors Rejected Bribe Attempts By Fired Bergen Sheriff's Department Head, Report Says Mayors Rejected Bribe Attempts By Fired Bergen Sheriff's Department Head, Report Says
Mayors Rejected Bribe Attempts By Fired Bergen Sheriff's Department Head, Report Says UPDATE: A department head who was fired from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office picked the wrong guys when he tried bribing one former and one current North Jersey mayor, according to a published report. Omid Bayati, 39, was charged with trying to bribe a senior official at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission to advance his career after taking a job there, state authorities announced Wednesday. Former Fair Lawn Mayor John Cosgrove, who was appointed to the commission in 2019, later told New Jersey Globe that he was the official. SEE: Official wears wire after sewerage commissioners…
Passaic Sewerage Commission Employee From Bergen Charged With Bribing Senior Official Passaic Sewerage Commission Employee From Bergen Charged With Bribing Senior Official
Passaic Sewerage Commission Employee From Bergen Charged With Bribing Senior Official UPDATE: A department head who was fired from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office picked the wrong guys when he tried bribing one former and one current North Jersey mayor, according to a published report. Omid Bayati, 39, was charged with trying to bribe a senior official at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission to advance his career after taking a job there, state authorities announced Wednesday. Former Fair Lawn Mayor John Cosgrove, who was appointed to the commission in 2019, later told New Jersey Globe that he was the official. SEE: Official wears wire after sewerage commissioners repo…
Firefighter Rescued After Wall Collapses In Passaic Multi-Family Blaze Firefighter Rescued After Wall Collapses In Passaic Multi-Family Blaze
Firefighter Rescued After Wall Collapses In Passaic Multi-Family Blaze Firefighters rescued one of their own in a blaze that ripped through a three-story brick walkup in Passaic during the overnight snowstorm, authorities said. The firefighter, who was rescued after a wall collapsed in the 4th Street building, was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson. He was reported in stable condition with cuts and bruises on his head and face, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Two female residents also were rescued and taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic with smoke inhalation and minor injuries, the mayor said. More than 25 residents were displaced,…
Passaic Police Officer Injured In Crash Passaic Police Officer Injured In Crash
Passaic Police Officer Injured In Crash A Passaic police officer was hospitalized after a crash that toppled a utility pole. "Thankfully it's a one-car accident and the officer is doing well," Deputy Police Chief Jonathan Schaer said after Friday night's crash at Main Avenue and Prospect Street. "We expect his injuries to be minor and that he'll make a full recovery." The busy intersection remained closed while the crash was investigated and repairs were made. The wrecked city police SUV was towed. Specifics about the crash, including the cause, won't be available until the investigation was completed, authorities said. "He is…