Drizzle Fog/Mist 45°
Tag:

Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, NJ

Police & Fire
Attendant Beaten, Gas Stations Robbed Minutes Apart In Bergen, Passaic Counties Attendant Beaten, Gas Stations Robbed Minutes Apart In Bergen, Passaic Counties
Attendant Beaten, Gas Stations Robbed Minutes Apart In Bergen, Passaic Counties A lone gunman committed back-to-back-to-back armed gas station robberies less than 10 miles apart in Bergen and Passaic counties Monday afternoon, authorities said. The attendant was pistol-whipped at a Valero on northbound Route 17 just before Route 46 in Hasbrouck Heights shortly before 3 p.m. Feb. 5, responders said. There was no immediate word on the extent of injuries to the attendant. Hasbrouck Heights police were directed to refer all questions to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, suggesting the likelihood that the same robber or robbers were involved in other area holdups. Le…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'Y’All Never Gonna Find Me': NJ Feds Seize Ex-Con Who Taunted Cops After Dunkin Donuts Shooting 'Y’All Never Gonna Find Me': NJ Feds Seize Ex-Con Who Taunted Cops After Dunkin Donuts Shooting
'Y’All Never Gonna Find Me': NJ Feds Seize Ex-Con Who Taunted Cops After Dunkin Donuts Shooting A Clifton ex-con and former associate of rapper Fetty Wap who taunted police on Instagram following a shooting at a local Dunkin’ Donuts is now in federal custody. Surveillance video shows Justin Pope, 36, firing several shots at a woman who fled a Mercedes Benz during an argument in the parking lot of the Van Houten Avenue donut shop shortly after 9 p.m. July 12, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. He missed her, but a bullet crashed through the window of the Dunkin' Donuts. The bullet ended up "lodged in an electronic menu screen located above the cash registers of the…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Shots Fired At Clifton Dunkin' Donuts Shots Fired At Clifton Dunkin' Donuts
Shots Fired At Clifton Dunkin' Donuts No one was struck in a shooting Wednesday night at a Dunkin' Donuts in Clifton, responders said. A bullet came through the window of the shop at the corner of Van Houten Avenue and Wonham Street following what apparently was a drive-by shortly after 9 p.m. July 12. The shop was open at the time, but there was no one inside or outside the store when it happened, a shaken employee said. City police and Passaic County sheriff's officers scoured the area, looking through backyards and into vehicles. The sheriff's Crime Scene Investigations Unit collected shell casings and other evidence and …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire UPDATE: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire
Update: Authorities ID Three Seniors Killed In Clifton House Fire A 95-year-old woman and two fellow residents – 71 and 65 – were identified Saturday as the victims found dead in a Clifton house fire. Three firefighters, a Clifton police officer and a fourth resident also were injured in the blaze in a corner house on Ladwick Lane at Renaissance Drive near Van Houten Avenue in the city’s Athenia section on Nov. 18, authorities said. Firefighters found two of the deceased victims on the second floor and another in the basement after the blaze broke out in the multi-family home around 7:30 p.m. Killed were: Helen Popovich, 95; Elaine Warga, 71; Steven W…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Clifton Hot Dog Spot Destroyed By Van 'Ready To Rock' Clifton Hot Dog Spot Destroyed By Van 'Ready To Rock'
Clifton Hot Dog Spot Destroyed By Van 'Ready To Rock' Dave Martina is "ready to rock." And so is his Clifton hot dog joint destroyed by an out-of-control van just days after its grand opening is almost ready to reopen, he said. Martina tells Daily Voice that his Van Houten Avenue eatery Original Jumbo's has been remodeled and will reopen Sunday, Sept. 18. A bright red van barreled through a service window of the hot dog joint in early may, after Martina alleged he had been accused of stealing the photos, logo and photos from a previous hot dog business operating out of the same location more than five decades ago. Clifton…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Van Barrels Through Brand New North Jersey Hot Dog Stand Days After Feud: Report Van Barrels Through Brand New North Jersey Hot Dog Stand Days After Feud: Report
Van Barrels Through Brand New North Jersey Hot Dog Stand Days After Feud: Report A bright red van barreled through a service window of a brand new hot dog stand in Clifton, not long after the owner received accusations of stealing from former business owners, NJ Advance Media reports. The incident at the Original Jumbo’s on Van Houten Avenue happened Wednesday, May 4, less than a week after the shop opened and now forcing it shut for repairs. Owner Dave Martina tells NJ.com that he'd recently been accused of stealing the photos, logo and photos from a previous hot dog business operating out of the same location more than five decades ago. Clifton police say they b…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
SUV Crash Downs Pole, Tree In Clifton SUV Crash Downs Pole, Tree In Clifton
SUV Crash Downs Pole, Tree In Clifton A passenger was hospitalized after an SUV toppled a telephone pole in Clifton. The Acura MDX also took down a tree and strung wires across Van Houten Avenue outside Van Houten Village at Mohegan Street around 5 p.m. Sunday, March 13. The victim complained of leg and ankle pain. Clifton police, firefighters and EMS responded.

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police: Young Thugs —13, 14 — Rob Clifton Liquor Store With BB Gun Police: Young Thugs —13, 14 — Rob Clifton Liquor Store With BB Gun
Police: Young Thugs —13, 14 — Rob Clifton Liquor Store With BB Gun A Clifton liquor store was robbed by four young city teens, one of whom displayed what turned out to be a BB gun, said authorities who took them into custody. The haul? A vape. The quartet entered Dante's Liquor & Wine on Van Houten Avenue shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. One of the boys asked the cashier for a vape, then pulled up his shirt to expose the weapon in his waistband, Bracken said. The youth grabbed the vape and they all bolted, he said. A detective was checking the area when he spotted the group sitting on a porch a few blocks away…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Passing Of Longtime Bar Owner Skip Kazer 'Leaves Hole In Clifton's Heart' Passing Of Longtime Bar Owner Skip Kazer 'Leaves Hole In Clifton's Heart'
Passing Of Longtime Bar Owner Skip Kazer 'Leaves Hole In Clifton's Heart' The Clifton community is grieving the loss of longtime bar owner Charles "Skip" Kazer, who died on Sept. 29. Kazer leaves more than his popular Clifton Avenue watering hole The Clif, where a makeshift memorial had been set up Tuesday. His good heart, kind spirit and guiding principle "peace and love," too, have left a lasting impression. "The City of Clifton lost a great one yesterday," retired city police lieutenant Pat Ciser said. "Skip Kazer passed away leaving a hole in Clifton’s heart. You’ll truly be missed by all who knew and loved you my friend." A makeshift memorial was set …

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Clifton Police Nab Drivers In Separate Vehicle Thefts Out Of Nutley, Paterson Clifton Police Nab Drivers In Separate Vehicle Thefts Out Of Nutley, Paterson
Clifton Police Nab Drivers In Separate Vehicle Thefts Out Of Nutley, Paterson Clifton police nabbed two men driving stolen cars -- one out of Nutley and the other from Paterson -- less than 14 hours apart, authorities said Tuesday. An officer tried stopping a large passenger van traveling north on Van Houten Avenue with its lights off shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday when the vehicle took off, Detective Sgt. Robert Anderson said. The driver continued several blocks, eventually turning onto southbound Van Houten Avenue and into Passaic, before stopping on Broadway near Grove Street, he said. The driver, identified as 20-year-old Angel Lucero of Passaic, surrendered and …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Funeral Scheduled For Wyckoff Man, 20, Killed In Motorcycle Crash During Police Chase Funeral Scheduled For Wyckoff Man, 20, Killed In Motorcycle Crash During Police Chase
Funeral Scheduled For Wyckoff Man, 20, Killed In Motorcycle Crash During Police Chase A funeral for a 20-year-old Wyckoff man who was killed in a fiery motorcycle crash while being chased by police earlier this week is scheduled for Friday. Mourners were asked to gather at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Santangelo Funeral Home, 300 Main Street in Lodi for the funeral for Frank Lavato. A private cremation will follow. Born in Teaneck and raised in Wyckoff, Lovato managed the family business, LaSalle Landscaping and Construction in Hackensack. "I keep hoping to wake up from this nightmare but the truth is, you’re gone," wrote Lavato's girlfriend of six years, Lizza Thoma of Franklin La…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wyckoff Motorcyclist, 20, Killed In Clifton Police Chase Crash Wyckoff Motorcyclist, 20, Killed In Clifton Police Chase Crash
Wyckoff Motorcyclist, 20, Killed In Clifton Police Chase Crash A 20-year-motorcyclist from Wyckoff was killed in a fiery crash during a pre-dawn police chase Monday in Clifton. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating both the crash and the pursuit, was expected to release details sometime Monday but hadn't as of 7 p.m. Tuesday. A marked unit was chasing the fleeing driver when he crashed at Broad Street and Van Houten Avenue around 2 a.m., responders said. Police conducted CPR, to no avail. There was no immediate word on the conditions of any occupants of the vehicle the motorcycle collided with. Firefighters responded for an e…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
$1M, $10G Lottery Tickets Sold In Mahwah And Clifton $1M, $10G Lottery Tickets Sold In Mahwah And Clifton
$1M, $10G Lottery Tickets Sold In Mahwah And Clifton Mahwah and Clifton retailers each sold winning lottery tickets from the May 31 Mega Millions drawing. A second-tier prizewinning ticket was sold at Scherer and Company Beer Wine & Liquors on Miller Road in Mahwah, winning $1 million. A third-tier prizewinning ticket was sold at The Greeting Place in Van Houten Avenue in Clifton, matching the five white balls and the gold ball. That ticket won $10,000. The winning numbers for the Friday, May 31 drawing were: 07, 08, 26, 65, and 67. The Gold Mega Ball was 04, and the Megaplier Multiplier was 03.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Victims Robbed In Separate Clifton Parking Lot Attacks Victims Robbed In Separate Clifton Parking Lot Attacks
Victims Robbed In Separate Clifton Parking Lot Attacks Thugs attacked victims in separate parking lot robberies 15 minutes apart in Clifton Monday night, authorities said.  A 38-year-old city resident was carjacked -- and had his other valuables taken along with his 2000 Mercedes -- by a robber who pulled a knife on him in a parking lot in the 500 block of Van Houten Avenue around 9:45 p.m., Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. Roughly 15 minutes later, at least four attackers beat and robbed a 19-year-old Rutherford man in the rear parking lot of 261 Clifton Avenue, taking cash and other valubles, Bracken said. The victim was treated for facial…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Clifton Liquor Store Owner Darpan Rana Dies, 44 Clifton Liquor Store Owner Darpan Rana Dies, 44
Clifton Liquor Store Owner Darpan Rana Dies, 44 Darpan I. Rana of Clifton died Saturday, Aug. 25. He was 44 years old.  Born in Navasari, India, Darpan came to the U.S. in 1976 settling in Passaic. He has lived in Clifton since 1993.  Darpan was the owner of Henry’s Liquors on Van Houten Avenue in Clifton since 1995. He was also a trading support specialist with Jones Trading of Morristown. Darpan is survived by his beloved wife, Nirali Rana; daughters Krishna and Citra Rana; mother Jashvanti Rana; and sister Amita Mistry. He was predeceased by his father, Ishwarlal Rana. A funeral service was held Monday.

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Clifton Police: Dirt Bike Pursuit Ends In Crash, Arrest Of Boy, 15 Clifton Police: Dirt Bike Pursuit Ends In Crash, Arrest Of Boy, 15
Clifton Police: Dirt Bike Pursuit Ends In Crash, Arrest Of Boy, 15 A 15-year-old boy led Clifton police on a miles-long chase before his dirt bike slammed into a parked car, authorities said. It began just before 6 p.m. Friday, when Officer Zachary Martin spotted the teen not wearing a helmet recklessly riding the green Kawasaki dirt bike with no license plates in the area of Mount Washington Drive and Vallely Road, Detective Sgt. Robert Anderson said. He tried to pull the cycle over, but the teen kept going, Anderson said. Sgt. Bruce Lawson soon joined the chase, which continued along Valley Road, Fenner Avenue, Broad and Hazel streets and several other …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco