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Ridgefield, NJ

Federal Agent Interrupts Carjacking, Hit By Fleeing Thugs' Vehicle At 'The Vince' Federal Agent Interrupts Carjacking, Hit By Fleeing Thugs' Vehicle At 'The Vince'
Federal Agent Interrupts Carjacking, Hit By Fleeing Thugs' Vehicle At 'The Vince' EXCLUSIVE: A U.S. Homeland Security officer was struck by a fleeing vehicle after interrupting an attempted carjacking Thursday at the Vince Lombardi Service Area off the New Jersey Turnpike, law enforcement sources told Daily Voice. Four black men in a black Porsche Macan were trying to take an elderly Jewish man's vehicle in the parking lot of the rest stop in Ridgefield around 11:30 a.m. Jan. 11, they said. Members of a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) task force who were working a separate investigation in the area intervened. The officer who was struck wasn't seriously injured, …
27 NJ Boston Market Stores Issued Stop-Work Orders By Labor Department 27 NJ Boston Market Stores Issued Stop-Work Orders By Labor Department
27 NJ Boston Market Stores Issued Stop-Work Orders By Labor Department Boston Market stores across New Jersey owe its workers thousands of dollars in back wages, and the state's labor department is taking action. The NJDOL issued 27 stop-work orders to Boston Market locations throughout the state on Monday, Aug. 14 saying the rotisserie chicken franchise owes more than $600,000 in back wages to 314 employees. The investigation began after the NJDOL received a complaint from an employee at a restaurant in Hamilton last November. Since then, almost three dozen people have come forward, naming several other locations. Citations were issued for unpaid/late pa…
UPDATE: NJ College Student Dead, GF Hospitalized In Horrific Crash UPDATE: NJ College Student Dead, GF Hospitalized In Horrific Crash
Update: NJ College Student Dead, GF Hospitalized In Horrific Crash UPDATE: A 19-year-old college student from Garfield was killed and his girlfriend seriously injured when his Mustang slammed into the front of a new restaurant in Ridgefield early Saturday. The two were headed north on Broad Avenue when Yusuf Bakmaz missed the split to Grand Avenue on the left around midnight June 24, Ridgefield Police Chief TJ Gallagher said. The teen's white 2002 Ford Mustang barreled over the island, clipped another vehicle and swerved directly into Karden, which opened in April at the site of the old Chan's Dragon Inn. Bakmaz -- a sophomore who majored in computer sc…
GOTCHA! Fleeing Cliffside Business Burglar Nabbed By Fort Lee PD, Claims Sovereignty GOTCHA! Fleeing Cliffside Business Burglar Nabbed By Fort Lee PD, Claims Sovereignty
Gotcha! Fleeing Cliffside Business Burglar Nabbed By Fort Lee PD, Claims Sovereignty A burglar who hit several downtown Cliffside Park businesses overnight Wednesday was captured a half-dozen blocks away by Fort Lee police who were part of a dragnet. Officers from no fewer than seven other law enforcement agencies converged on Cliffside's business district after the intruder entered an unlocked sidewalk cellar door on Lawton Avenue and began going from business to business around 1:30 a.m. June 21, Deputy Police Chief Vincent Capano said. The owner of Dipped Donuts on Anderson Avenue got a burglar alert on his phone, saw what was happening on a surveillance camera and call…
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA UPDATE: An ex-con who kidnapped and raped his ex-girlfriend in Pennsylvania, then torched a used car dealership in Paterson and rammed a stolen SUV into police cars at both ends of the George Washington Bridge was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison. Luis Figueroa, 42, first took a plea deal from the government that called for him to serve 26 years in a federal penitentiary. Then he abruptly withdrew his plea, took his chances with a trial – and lost. Federal jurors in Newark convicted Figueroa in May 2022 of kidnapping, criminal sexual abuse, illegal gun possession and assaulting…
Police: NJ Man Awaiting Trial For Multi-Town Chase Terrorizes Parents Twice In 3 Hours Police: NJ Man Awaiting Trial For Multi-Town Chase Terrorizes Parents Twice In 3 Hours
Police: NJ Man Awaiting Trial For Multi-Town Chase Terrorizes Parents Twice In 3 Hours Imagine a fleeing driver crashing his mother's car into police cruisers three times during a multi-agency pursuit -- sending an officer to the hospital -- then getting released by a judge a short time later. Imagine the same man allegedly going berserk and trashing his parents' apartment, forcing them to lock themselves in the bathroom. Imagine he's taken into custody only to be released again. Meet Joshua Hayes, 30, of Fairview. Borough officers arrested Hayes for the early-morning incident at his folks' home on Monday, March 6. They were back there less than a half-hour after Hayes had …
PD: North Jersey Ex-Con Made Dozens Of Threatening Calls To Police, Local School PD: North Jersey Ex-Con Made Dozens Of Threatening Calls To Police, Local School
PD: North Jersey Ex-Con Made Dozens Of Threatening Calls To Police, Local School An ex-con with a history of making threats used racial slurs in alarming calls to a New Milford school, followed by 26 similar calls to borough police, authorities charged. The first call by Sean Michael Persons, 39, of Hackensack last week was “threatening, offensive and had racial rhetoric,” alarming school administrators, Police Capt. Kevin Van Saders said. The following day, Persons “called the New Milford Police Department 26 times with the same harassing statements,” Van Saders said on Monday, Dec. 19. “Some were three-way calls with the New Milford Police Department and New Milford …
Pole Lands On Officer's Car, Occupants Flee In Fiery Stolen Car Crash In North Jersey Pole Lands On Officer's Car, Occupants Flee In Fiery Stolen Car Crash In North Jersey
Pole Lands On Officer's Car, Occupants Flee In Fiery Stolen Car Crash In North Jersey An officer escaped serious injury when a pole fell onto a police cruiser during a fiery overnight crash involving a stolen car and two fleeing occupants in Ridgefield. The Infiniti sedan was being pursued when it slammed into a traffic light and utility pole at Broad Avenue and Route 5 outside the Ridgefield Fire Co. 1 firehouse shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Firefighters found the vehicle fully involved, the officer OK and the occupants gone, responders said. They quickly doused the blaze. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Fatal Accident Investigations Unit initially was summoned…
QuickChek Goes Big: 7 New Locations Land In NJ QuickChek Goes Big: 7 New Locations Land In NJ
QuickChek Goes Big: 7 New Locations Land In NJ QuickChek is going big with an expanded location in Central Jersey, and six more planned across the Garden State (scroll for the list). The 4,542-square-foot store opened at the intersection of Bordentown Avenue and Cheesequake Road Parlin on Tuesday, Sept. 20, replacing a smaller store that stood in its place. The new QuickChek features a new exterior with a green tower and “Fresh to Go” interior layout designed to enhance the shopping experience. More than half of the new store will be dedicated to freshly prepared food and beverages, including QuickChek’s guaranteed fresh brewe…
Police Officer Dragged, Perps Sought In Traffic Stop Police Officer Dragged, Perps Sought In Traffic Stop
Police Officer Dragged, Perps Sought In Traffic Stop SEE ANYTHING? A Palisades Park police officer was dragged by an SUV when the driver deliberately hit the gas during an overnight traffic stop, authorities said. The officer spotted the Jeep with its headlights off near the corner of East Central Boulevard and 6th Street around 2 a.m. Friday, said Capt. Anthony Espino, the officer in charge of the department. He stopped the vehicle on East Central Boulevard near Inwood Terrace just over the border in Fort Lee, Espino said. The car then began moving, dragging the officer, before the driver jumped out, the captain said. The officer then…
It's 420 — As In Pounds Of Pot Seized In North Jersey Stop It's 420 — As In Pounds Of Pot Seized In North Jersey Stop
It's 420 — As In Pounds Of Pot Seized In North Jersey Stop A Queens driver stopped by detectives was charged with hauling more than 400 pounds of marijuana through Bergen County -- 420, to be exact. Coincidence? Lifan Feng, 20, of Flushing, Queens was stopped at an undisclosed location in Ridgefield, not far from the George Washington Bridge, by members of Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella’s Narcotic Task Force. A search turned up the possibly random weight of 420 pounds of pot that the prosecutor said was packaged for sale. You can legally possess up to six ounces under New Jersey’s new marijuana laws. Any weight over that gets you ticketed …
WILD CHASE: Stolen Car Driver With Two Flats Hits Police Car, Parked Vehicles, Flees South WILD CHASE: Stolen Car Driver With Two Flats Hits Police Car, Parked Vehicles, Flees South
Wild Chase: Stolen Car Driver With Two Flats Hits Police Car, Parked Vehicles, Flees South Two thieves led police on a wild stolen car chase through Bergen County on what became two flat front tires. A Little Ferry police cruiser was struck during the pursuit, which began in Ridgefield and went through several towns -- on highways as well as back streets -- before winding up back there. The driver and his passenger were then somehow able to flee south on the New Jersey Turnpike with both the flats and a heavily-damaged front end, police said. Fortunately, no one was injured, Ridgefield Police Chief TJ Gallagher said Thursday. It all began late Wednesday afternoon when the two b…
$50M LAWSUIT: NJ Funeral Home Mixed Up Bodies, Sent Wrong Woman’s Corpse To Cemetery $50M LAWSUIT: NJ Funeral Home Mixed Up Bodies, Sent Wrong Woman’s Corpse To Cemetery
$50M Lawsuit: NJ Funeral Home Mixed Up Bodies, Sent Wrong Woman’s Corpse To Cemetery Mourners were saying their final goodbyes to a beloved Bergen County grandmother when, at the last instant, the graveside service was abruptly halted. It turns out the body of the 93-year-old Korean woman whose death they were mourning in a Westchester cemetery had been left back at the funeral home in New Jersey. Another corpse had been dressed in her clothing, placed in the casket and brought that morning to a funeral in Leonia. It was then driven 25 miles north in a procession to Valhalla, NY. The body had already been lowered into the grave when the mistake was finally acknowledge…
Adult, Juvenile Charged With Arson In Multi-Alarm North Jersey Warehouse Fire Adult, Juvenile Charged With Arson In Multi-Alarm North Jersey Warehouse Fire
Adult, Juvenile Charged With Arson In Multi-Alarm North Jersey Warehouse Fire UPDATE: A vacant warehouse blaze that injured a firefighter in Palisades Park was deliberately set by two Ridgefield residents, authorities charged. Alexander Regalado, 18, was arrested and a juvenile was detained after they were identified as responsible for the multi-alarm Fourth of July weekend fire on Fairview Street off Grand Avenue, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The fire, which ravaged the warehouse and damaged a neighboring building, wasn’t fully extinguished for nearly six hours. Route 46 was closed in both directions at one point because of the thick smoke and a fi…
NJ Pharmacist Needed Double Lung Transplant But Insurance Denied It — Now He's Gone NJ Pharmacist Needed Double Lung Transplant But Insurance Denied It — Now He's Gone
NJ Pharmacist Needed Double Lung Transplant But Insurance Denied It — Now He's Gone John Jukić's family says he would still be alive today had his insurance company granted him the double lung transplant he needed back in April. The 46-year-old Clark dad and Colonia pharmacist suffered lung damage from COVID-19 he contracted last October, and needed a double lung transplant. His only hope was a double lung transplant, his wife Mirla said. However, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois apparently denied him the life-saving treatment, and while his family was in the process of appealing the decision, John on Monday, June 13. Blue Cross Blue Shield did not immediately resp…
Prosecutor: CT Pair Nabbed In NJ Turnpike Stop With Ghost Gun, Hollow-Nose Bullets Prosecutor: CT Pair Nabbed In NJ Turnpike Stop With Ghost Gun, Hollow-Nose Bullets
Prosecutor: CT Pair Nabbed In NJ Turnpike Stop With Ghost Gun, Hollow-Nose Bullets Two unemployed Connecticut men stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike in Bergen County were packing two handguns and hollow-nosed bullets in their vehicle, authorities said. One of the weapons was a homemade ghost gun, they said. The passenger, Jeffrey Torres, 23, of Bristol, CT, bailed out and tried to run after Narcotic Task Force detectives stopped them on northbound Route 95 in Ridgefield, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. A Superior Court judge in Hackensack later ordered that both Torres and the driver, Angel Ramos-Ortiz, 24, of Hartford, CT, remain held in the Bergen County Ja…
Fierce Fire Destroys Trailer, Several Vehicles, Sends Smoke Column Skyward In Fort Lee Fierce Fire Destroys Trailer, Several Vehicles, Sends Smoke Column Skyward In Fort Lee
Fierce Fire Destroys Trailer, Several Vehicles, Sends Smoke Column Skyward In Fort Lee Investigators were probing the cause of a fire early Saturday that engulfed a storage trailer and several vehicles behind a Fort Lee gas station. Huge columns of black, then gray, then white smoke could be seen from Washington Heights and Upper Manhattan after the fire broke out in the office-like trailer behind Fort Lee Getty on Palisade Avenue around 6 a.m. Fort Lee firefighters confined the rampaging blaze, protecting the gas station and other nearby buildings and vehicles. Assisting were their colleagues from Cliffside Park and Ridgefield. Eight vehicles in all were reportedly either…
GUILTY: Kidnapping Rapist Who Cancelled Plea Deal Convicted In Rampage Through PA, NJ, NY GUILTY: Kidnapping Rapist Who Cancelled Plea Deal Convicted In Rampage Through PA, NJ, NY
Guilty: Kidnapping Rapist Who Cancelled Plea Deal Convicted In Rampage Through PA, NJ, NY An ex-con who kidnapped and raped his ex-girlfriend in Pennsylvania, torched a used car dealership in Paterson and crashed a stolen SUV into police cars on either side of the George Washington Bridge rolled the dice and lost. After originally pleading guilty to several charges, Luis Figueroa, 41, withdrew his plea and took his chances with federal jurors in Newark. They ended up convicting him following a two-week trial. So now, instead of the 26-year deal that he originally accepted from the government, Figueroa could be sentenced to nearly 50 years in federal prison. The rampage had an “…
CAPTURED! Prisoner Who Escaped From NJ Police HQ Nabbed In Rhode Island CAPTURED! Prisoner Who Escaped From NJ Police HQ Nabbed In Rhode Island
Captured! Prisoner Who Escaped From NJ Police HQ Nabbed In Rhode Island GOTCHA! The manhunt for a purported MS-13 gang member who escaped from Palisades Park police headquarters in handcuffs three days ago ended with his capture in Rhode Island, authorities announced. Working around the clock, Palisades Park police "were right with" Adilson Estrada-Garcia of Cliffside Park when he arrived in Providence to stay with a cousin, Detective Lt. Alex Monteleone said. Members of the US Marshals Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force were notified and nabbed the 24-year-old Guatemalan national without incident at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, March 6, Monteleone said. Estrada-G…
MANHUNT: Prisoner Escapes Local NJ Police HQ MANHUNT: Prisoner Escapes Local NJ Police HQ
Manhunt: Prisoner Escapes Local NJ Police HQ GOTCHA! The manhunt for a purported MS-13 gang member who escaped from Palisades Park police headquarters in handcuffs three days ago ended with his capture in Rhode Island, authorities announced. Working around the clock, Palisades Park police "were right with" Adilson Estrada-Garcia of Cliffside Park when he arrived in Providence to stay with a cousin, Detective Lt. Alex Monteleone said. Members of the US Marshals Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force nabbed the 24-year-old Guatemalan national without incident at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, March 6, Monteleone said. Estrada-Garcia -- whose fami…
Driver Reports SUV Stolen From Outside NJ Eatery With $70G Inside Driver Reports SUV Stolen From Outside NJ Eatery With $70G Inside
Driver Reports SUV Stolen From Outside NJ Eatery With $70G Inside An out-of-towner who stopped for some Korean barbecue in Ridgefield told police he emerged to find his rented Range Rover missing -- along with $70,000 in cash that he said a friend had loaned him. The 50-year-old Asian traveler from Chicago said he'd gotten the vehicle from the Enterprise-Rent-A-Car at O'Hare Airport, Ridgefield Police Chief Thomas Gallagher said. He told police he'd stopped in Philadelphia to visit a friend who loaned him the fat stacks. Last week, he grabbed dinner at the Dae Ji Ssonday restaurant in the HMart shopping center on Broad Avenue. He told police he came…
Fierce Fire Destroys North Jersey Home Fierce Fire Destroys North Jersey Home
Fierce Fire Destroys North Jersey Home Two firefighters were injured Sunday in a ferocious blaze that destroyed a 96-year-old Palisades Park home. Responders were met by heavy fire and smoke at the West Harwood Terrace home around 1 p.m. They eventually had to go to an exterior operation as flames blew out the roof and through windows. The fire was declared under control around 2:40 p.m. Firefighters had to go to exterior operations at the West Harwood Terrace blaze in Palisades Park.Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE The injuries weren't initially considered serious. Mutual aid responders at the scene or in coverage included f…
Barricaded NJ Man Seized With Knives, Grenade, Young Daughter In Home Barricaded NJ Man Seized With Knives, Grenade, Young Daughter In Home
Barricaded NJ Man Seized With Knives, Grenade, Young Daughter In Home A troubled Ridgefield man was seized after barricading himself in his home with his 12-year-old daughter, authorities said. A Bergen County Regional SWAT team joined local officers during the Maple Avenue standoff, which ended when Osvaldo Salas-Kechichian, 44, was taken into custody shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday, nearly three hours after it began, Ridgefield Deputy Chief Robert Meurer said. His roommate had come to headquarters earlier to report that Salas-Kechichian threw his belongings outside and threatened him with a knife, Meurer said. Salas-Kechichian, who was known to have several …
Fire Blows Through Roof Of Cliffside Park Home Fire Blows Through Roof Of Cliffside Park Home
Fire Blows Through Roof Of Cliffside Park Home Flames blew through the roof of a Cliffside Park home late Saturday afternoon. The fire broke out in the 2½-story wood-frame home on Washington Avenue shortly after 4:30 p.m. and was declared under control a little over an hour later. No injuries were reported. Mutual aid companies from Fairview, Edgewater and Ridgefield were among those assisted their colleagues at the scene or in coverage. The cause wasn't immediately determined. 35 Washington Avenue, Cliffside ParkJames Giunchini ****** HOURS EARLIER, a worker was injured when a fierce fire blew through an auto body shop Saturday…
Prosecutor: Philly Driver Bites Detective, Tries To Disarm Another In 22-Pound NJ Cocaine Stop Prosecutor: Philly Driver Bites Detective, Tries To Disarm Another In 22-Pound NJ Cocaine Stop
Prosecutor: Philly Driver Bites Detective, Tries To Disarm Another In 22-Pound NJ Cocaine Stop A Philadelphia driver bit one detective while trying to disarm another following a New Jersey traffic stop that authorities said turned up 22 pounds of cocaine. Jaycomm Grave Ramos, 28, and his passenger, Eshaniel Moyano, 20, remained held Wednesday in the county jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack following their arrests two days earlier in Ridgefield. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said detectives with his Narcotics Task Force found most of the coke in an "electronically operated hidden compartment" in their 2012 Honda Pilot. Another …
Son Of Infamous NJ Burglar Charged With ID Theft, Unemployment Fraud Son Of Infamous NJ Burglar Charged With ID Theft, Unemployment Fraud
Son Of Infamous NJ Burglar Charged With ID Theft, Unemployment Fraud The son of an infamous Bergen County burglar was charged with unemployment fraud after a shoplifting bust in Virginia, authorities said. A judge ordered Daniel Gatson Jr., 24, of Ridgefield released this week after he was booked into the Bergen County Jail hours earlier, records show. Gatson assumed another identity to open bank accounts, then applied for and received unemployment benefits from the state of New Jersey, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said, without specifying the amount. Detectives in Fairfax County, VA discovered this while investigating a shoplifting, the prose…
Ridgefield Laborers Charged With Sexually Assaulting Minors Ridgefield Laborers Charged With Sexually Assaulting Minors
Ridgefield Laborers Charged With Sexually Assaulting Minors ICE has issued detainers on two related Ridgefield laborers after they were jailed on charges of sexually assaulting underage victims. Oscar Hernandez Estrada, 43, sexually abused two pre-teens while his brother-in-law, Daniel Aria Estrada, 24, “engaged in sexual conduct including sexual penetration” of a child while at their residence in Ridgefield, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Ridgefield police fielded the complaints and notified Musella’s Special Victims Unit detectives and the state Department of Child Protection and Permanency. The Estradas, who live in the same Hillsi…
COLD CASE CRACKED: DNA From Soda Can Helps Solve NJ Business Break-Ins COLD CASE CRACKED: DNA From Soda Can Helps Solve NJ Business Break-Ins
Cold CASE Cracked: DNA From Soda Can Helps Solve NJ Business Break-Ins Palisades Park police cracked a pair of cold-case burglaries after the results of a DNA test on a soda can led them to a familiar face from a neighboring town. Officers responding to a break-in at what was then the Happy Diner on Broad Avenue in 2018 found a damaged and emptied cash register outside the Honey Pig Bossam next door, Detective Sgt. Alex Monteleone said. They contacted the owners of both businesses, one of whom reported finding an iPad and $100 missing – along with a soda can that had been left on a counter, he said. Sgt. Sean Cotrrell secured the can, which was sent to t…
Bergen Broker Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For 'Short Sale' Scam Bergen Broker Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For 'Short Sale' Scam
Bergen Broker Gets 18 Months In Fed Pen For 'Short Sale' Scam A Bergen County real estate broker was sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison for his role in a $4.6 million “short-sale” scheme. Steve Young Kang, 66, of Ridgefield, and others sold properties to an accomplice, Mehdi Kassai, for substantially less than they were worth, Acting Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney and Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal said. The conspirators used false documents, straw buyers and cosmetic property damage, while also restricting the ability of others to bid on and buy those properties, Agarwal said. Kassai then “sold many of those propert…
WATCH: Bergen County Teen Carolina Rial Wows 'The Voice' Judges WATCH: Bergen County Teen Carolina Rial Wows 'The Voice' Judges
Watch: Bergen County Teen Carolina Rial Wows 'The Voice' Judges New Jersey teen Carolina Rial garnered national accolades for her blind audition on NBC's "The Voice." Less than 30 seconds into Sam Smith's "Stay With Me," judges Nick Jonas and John Legend hit their buttons -- turning to see the Ridgefield (Bergen County) girl. The 17-year-old got a standing ovation from Jonas, a Bergen County native, himself. "That's the kind of voice I feel like this show's all about," Jonas said. "The fact that you're from Jersey is making me so happy." Legend opined Rial's had exquisite range and insane control Sussex County's Danielle Escobar, known musically as …
Units Damaged In Fort Lee Condo Fire Units Damaged In Fort Lee Condo Fire
Units Damaged In Fort Lee Condo Fire Firefighters doused a Thursday afternoon blaze that damaged units on two floors of a Fort Lee condominium. Flames blew through two first-floor windows after breaking out in a crawlspace in the five-story brick Central Court Condominiums on Central Road shortly before 2 p.m. Firefighters had the two-alarm blaze knocked down in about an hour and under control before 3:30 p.m. It was later ruled accidental. No injuries were reported. Firefighters from Edgewater, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fairview, Leonia, Palisades Park and Ridgefield were among the mutual aid responders. Tony Greco took…