Fair 39°
Police & Fire
Fast-Moving Fire Destroys Harrington Park Home Fast-Moving Fire Destroys Harrington Park Home
Fast-Moving Fire Destroys Harrington Park Home A fast-moving pre-dawn fire destroyed a Harrington Park home. A couple who bought the Maryann Lane home just last month wasn't there when the blaze broke out at around 5 a.m., less than an hour before sunrise.  It went two alarms on arrival as flames engulfed the two-story, wood-frame house. Burning electrical wires only made matters worse. Burning electrical wires made matters worse in the early-morning fire on MaryAnn Lane in Harrington Park.Harrington Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps Borough police and fire from Norwood, Northvale, River Vale, Closter, Old Tappan, Demarest, Alpine an…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Mechanic, 63, Charged With Collecting Child Porn Bergen Mechanic, 63, Charged With Collecting Child Porn
Bergen Mechanic, 63, Charged With Collecting Child Porn A 63-year-old mechanic from River Vale was arrested Thursday on child porn charges, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed. John DeFilippo was taken into custody by members of the prosecutor’s Cyber Crimes Unit during a June 8 raid at his Westwood Avenue home, Musella said. The investigators had found that DeFilippo “used the Internet to view, download, and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent children,” the prosecutor said. DeFilippo was processed on charges of possessing child sexual abuse material and sent to the Bergen County Jail to await a first…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Kitchen Candle Fire Blows Through Roof Of Old Tappan Home Kitchen Candle Fire Blows Through Roof Of Old Tappan Home
Kitchen Candle Fire Blows Through Roof Of Old Tappan Home UPDATE: A candle ignited a blaze that ravaged an Old Tappan home near the Rockland County border on Friday, bringing firefighters from both sides of the state line, authorities said. The three-alarm blaze broke out in the kitchen of the 2½-story wood-frame home on Cheryll Lane near Old Tappan Road -- a little under a half-mile from Tappan, NY -- and quickly blew through the roof around 1:30 p.m. April 7, responders told Daily Voice. Firefighters had it knocked down in under an hour. Overhaul was completed by 3 p.m. Flames quickly spread, then blew through the roof of the home on Cheryl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Siblings Open Bergen County Eatery Siblings Open Bergen County Eatery
Siblings Open Bergen County Eatery No sibling rivalry here: A brother and sister duo each with extensive culinary backgrounds have opened a restaurant together in Bergen County. Monique and James Rugile held the grand opening of Rugile's Kitchen in Haworth on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Photos of the Rugiles in Rugile's Kitchen.Cecilia Levine Walk inside the 147 Terrace St. restaurant and you'll see pictures of the siblings at various stages of life on the walls. You'll see James peeling potatoes and Monique at an outdoor market.  The siblings' passion for cooking began at an early age, growing up in Colorado. They both went on t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Due To Snow Tuesday, Feb. 28 These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Due To Snow Tuesday, Feb. 28
These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Due To Snow Tuesday, Feb. 28 The first winter storm of the season is causing a change in plans for New Jersey schools on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Some districts have delayed openings while others are closed completely. Here's a list of which school are closed or delayed for Tuesday, Feb. 28. Check your school/district's website for details. Bedminster: 10: 50 a.m. start Bellville: Delayed Bergen County Tech: Closed Bergenfield: 2-hour delay Bernards: 2-hour delay Bloomfield: Delay Bloomingdale: Closed Bogota: Delayed Butler: Closed Cliffside Park: 10 a.m. start Clifton: Delayed Closter: Delayed Cresskill: Delayed Demarest: …

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
New Milford Native Ditches Corporate Gig To Open Bakeshop New Milford Native Ditches Corporate Gig To Open Bakeshop
New Milford Native Ditches Corporate Gig To Open Bakeshop Baking has always made sense to Despina Kontomanolis. It's methodical, scientific, and she knew if she followed the steps meticulously, she'd get exactly the product she wanted. Baking proved to be imperative to the 36-year-old New Milford after she graduated from Fordham Business School, and began working in the corporate world in 2009. "I felt like my soul was dying," Kontomanolis said. "I was feeling like I wasn't living up to my full potential because I wasn't getting pleasure out of selling insurance or writing up leases." In 2015, she quit her corporate gig at the urging of friends…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Bogus Shooting Call Brings Police To Catholic Grammar School In Hillsdale Bogus Shooting Call Brings Police To Catholic Grammar School In Hillsdale
Bogus Shooting Call Brings Police To Catholic Grammar School In Hillsdale A bogus call of a shooting brought police to a Catholic grammar school in Bergen County. The "swatter" who made the false claim drew an immediate response to the preK3-8 St. John's Academy by police in Hillsdale mid-Monday evening (Jan. 23). They had help from, among others, their colleagues neighboring Park Ridge and River Vale, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff's Office.  Hillsdale Police Chief Robert Fracaviglia confirmed the call as swatting. An investigation was launched. Swatting exacts a toll on innocent residents, which is usually the intent. Often public figures and celeb…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Was That An Earthquake?' North Jersey Asks 'Was That An Earthquake?' North Jersey Asks
'Was That An Earthquake?' North Jersey Asks "What was that?" was the question that rumbled through a large swath of North Jersey and into New York State early Wednesday afternoon. Mine blasting? A sonic boom? Seneca guns? Unconfirmed reports of an earthquake or "seismic-like event" stretched from Newton and Sparta in Sussex County to as far east as the Palisades in Alpine beginning at 12:52 p.m. Jan. 11.  There were similar calls in several southern New York State counties, as well as in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. All are basically in the area of the Ramapo Fault Line. The longest and oldest in the Northeast -- at 185 m…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Four Suffer Smoke Inhalation In Overnight Old Tappan House Fire Four Suffer Smoke Inhalation In Overnight Old Tappan House Fire
Four Suffer Smoke Inhalation In Overnight Old Tappan House Fire Four people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation from an overnight house fire in Old Tappan, responders said. The blaze in the $1 million home at the end of a cul-de-sac on Parker Place broke out in the kitchen around 2:45 a.m. It immediately went to a second alarm on arrival, with a third alarm called roughly 20 minutes later. Old Tappan firefighters were met with heavy smoke at the Parker Place fire.OLD TAPPAN FD The Parker Place house fire in Old Tappan before dawn Saturday, Nov. 19 quickly went to three alarms.WOODCLIFF LAKE FD Firefighters had the blaze knocked down and under…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Park Ridge Family Loses All In Fire, Relatively Minor Injuries Reported Park Ridge Family Loses All In Fire, Relatively Minor Injuries Reported
Park Ridge Family Loses All In Fire, Relatively Minor Injuries Reported Loved ones and friends are rallying for a Park Ridge couple and their three young children who lost just about everything in a fire that sent four firefighters to the hospital. Authorities are investigating the cause of the two-alarm blaze, which broke out in the Henry Avenue home of Matt and Lisa Patterson shortly before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. Meanwhile, family friend Janet Zakrzewska launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the family. GO TO: Tragic House Fire - Matt and Lisa Patterson "They are the most hardworking, genuine, kind-hearted and giving people that we know!!" Zakrzewska …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
River Vale PD Recognized By Chiefs Association For 'Clarity, Transparency, Professionalism' River Vale PD Recognized By Chiefs Association For 'Clarity, Transparency, Professionalism'
River Vale PD Recognized By Chiefs Association For 'Clarity, Transparency, Professionalism' River Vale police met the highest standards of law enforcement when it received accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. NJSACOP is a statewide, independent credentialing body that analyzes the operational effectiveness and clarity of a police department’s policies and procedures. Although about 570 law enforcement agencies in the state are eligible for law enforcement accreditation, only 43% are accredited. River Vale police began the process, which can take up to two years to complete, in March of 2021. “It was a team effort,” said River Vale Police D…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Firefighters Contain Destructive Kitchen Fire At Westwood Restaurant Firefighters Contain Destructive Kitchen Fire At Westwood Restaurant
Firefighters Contain Destructive Kitchen Fire At Westwood Restaurant Firefighters kept a blaze that severely damaged a Guatemalan restaurant from spreading to the rest of a small shopping center in Westwood. The fire broke out in the kitchen and extended to the cockloft of Mi Flor Latin Cafe on Kinderkamack Road across from Kingsberry Avenue shortly before 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. Firefighters quickly climbed up and opened the roof as part of an aggressive attack that kept the blaze in check and was over in minutes. Their colleagues from Emerson and River Vale provided mutual aid. Fire inspectors were investigating the cause. The fire broke out in…

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by Jerry DeMarco