Tag:

West New York, NJ

'Not Just The Fat Best Friend:' Reality Show Judge Changes Her Mind About NJ Dancer 'Not Just The Fat Best Friend:' Reality Show Judge Changes Her Mind About NJ Dancer
'Not Just The Fat Best Friend:' Reality Show Judge Changes Her Mind About NJ Dancer "I'm here to show and prove to the world big girls are not just the fat best friend and they're also not just Lizzo's backup dancer." Arianna Santos of West New York is hoping to be an advocate for "all the women who look like [her]" on this season of "So You Think You Can Dance." Santos, 21, tells cameras from her New Jersey apartment that her mom was a dancer growing up, igniting her passion as a little girl. Her older sister is battling cancer and has been inspiring her to live life to the fullest, she says. Santos performed a hip-hop number with Flamenco fusion for judges&nbs…
Man Poses As Nurse To Kidnap, Sexually Abuse Women In NJ, NY: Feds Man Poses As Nurse To Kidnap, Sexually Abuse Women In NJ, NY: Feds
Man Poses As Nurse To Kidnap, Sexually Abuse Women In NJ, NY: Feds A Hudson County man who posed as a nurse on Facebook and the Hinge dating app kidnapped, assaulted and sexually abused several women in New Jersey and New York, federal authorities charged. Herman Calvin Brightman, 30, abducted one of the women and her 2-year-old child in the Bronx and brought them to his West New York home at knifepoint, said Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. It was only one of what NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban called many “deeply disturbing and heinous acts” that included threats to kill his victims. Brightman also stalked a wom…
NJ Man Sentenced For Making Teen Sexually Abuse 4-Year-Old, Record It: Prosecutors NJ Man Sentenced For Making Teen Sexually Abuse 4-Year-Old, Record It: Prosecutors
NJ Man Sentenced For Making Teen Sexually Abuse 4-Year-Old, Record It: Prosecutors A 32-year-old Hudson County man was sentenced to prison for making a teen boy sexually abused a child and record it, prosecutors said. Joseph Suarez, of West New York, was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to instructing a 13-year-old boy to sexually abuse a 4-year-old girl and send him recordings of it, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Suarez disseminated footage from the out-of-state boy over the social media platform Discord, Esther Suarez said.  He pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child/facilitating child sex abuse material…
Man Crushed To Death Between Car, Garage In Princeton: Police Man Crushed To Death Between Car, Garage In Princeton: Police
Man Crushed To Death Between Car, Garage In Princeton: Police A 61-year-old man was killed when he was pinned against a garage by a backing car, authorities said. Meliton Hernandez-Morales of West New York died of his injuries at the scene of the crash at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, Princeton police said. Huimei Qiu, 53, of Princeton, was backing down a residential driveway on Red Hill Road when Hernandez-Morales, who was in the driveway, was struck, police said. Hernandez-Morales was pinned against a detached garage, they said. Qiu was not hurt and no summonses had been issued. The investigation is ongoing.
10 Firefighters Injured, 19 People Displaced By Thanksgiving Blaze On Bergenline (UPDATE) 10 Firefighters Injured, 19 People Displaced By Thanksgiving Blaze On Bergenline (UPDATE)
10 Firefighters Injured, 19 People Displaced By Thanksgiving Blaze On Bergenline (Update) Ten firefighters were injured and 19 people were displaced in a West New York fire on Thanksgiving, authorities said. The blaze at a fire at 5222 Bergenline Ave., located above the Marin Pharmacy, broke out around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Footage posted to the Citizen app shows shooting through a window of a building at the corner of 53rd Street. During suppression efforts, 10 firefighters were injured, including two seriously, Suarez said. One firefighter remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, the prosecutor said. Four c…
Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police
Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police A woman was arrested for kidnapping and two suspects remain at-large as Secaucus police continue their investigation into the sale of narcotics at motels in the town, authorities said.  Police found one member of an illicit drug distribution ring was kidnapped at knifepoint in Jersey City in June 2023, since he owed Erica Festino, another member of the drug ring, money, police said. The victim was bound and driven around Hudson County in the back of a U-Haul truck for hours and robbed of cash and personal items, police said. He was eventually released, police said.  Festino was ar…
Cocaine Found After 7MPH Driver Tries Speeding Off From Leonia PD Into Fort Lee, Chief Says Cocaine Found After 7MPH Driver Tries Speeding Off From Leonia PD Into Fort Lee, Chief Says
Cocaine Found After 7MPH Driver Tries Speeding Off From Leonia PD Into Fort Lee, Chief Says A motorist who caught a Leonia police officer’s attention by going 7 miles an hour tried to speed away into Fort Lee, recklessly running a red light in the middle of the afternoon, before she was caught, authorities said. Officer Debbie Maldonado spotted the black Acura trudging up Fort Lee Road from Grand Avenue around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, Leonia Police Chief Scott Tamagny said. Maldonado pulled behind the vehicle, whose driver stopped several times for no apparent reason, then signaled a turn at Broad Avenue but kept going straight through the turn lane, the chief said. The office…
Bergen County Town Among 9 In NJ That Failed To Correct Sick Leave Policies: State Comptroller Bergen County Town Among 9 In NJ That Failed To Correct Sick Leave Policies: State Comptroller
Bergen County Town Among 9 In NJ That Failed To Correct Sick Leave Policies: State Comptroller Towns throughout the Garden State have not addressed their sick and vacation leave policies, the state's comptroller said. In a letter sent to Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and State Comptroller Kevin Walsh said nine municipalities have refused to cooperate and develop a correction action plan and is requesting that Murphy's office withhold state funds if they do not cooperate within 30 days. "The failure of the nine municipalities to prepare a correction action plan creates risks that taxpayer funds will be wasted and that unlawful pol…
Feds Help Dismantle Meth, Fentanyl Ring In North Jersey: Cops Feds Help Dismantle Meth, Fentanyl Ring In North Jersey: Cops
Feds Help Dismantle Meth, Fentanyl Ring In North Jersey: Cops An investigation by multiple North Jersey police departments and the Department of Homeland Security led to the arrest of three men for running a meth and fentanyl ring on Wednesday, Sept. 20, authorities said. Nilo Ibarra, a 38-year-old Jersey City resident, Ramon Lopez Arias, a 32-year-old West New York resident and Alexander Sanchez-Castillo, a  37-year-old North Bergen resident were arrested following an operation conducted by the Secaucus Police Department, the Jersey City Police Department Street Crimes Unit and the North Bergen Police Department, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Mill…
Police Fully Justified In Shooting West New York Man Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Rules Police Fully Justified In Shooting West New York Man Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Rules
Police Fully Justified In Shooting West New York Man Who Fired At Them, Grand Jury Rules It was as open-and-shut as a police shooting can possibly get. That’s why a state grand jury found that police were more than justified in shooting a West New York gunman who’d just wounded one officer while firing point-blank at them with a gun in each hand. Dramatic police bodycam footage shows Kevin Colindres, 32, opening fire after emerging from his 59th Street home on June 3, 2022. In a clip recorded through the front-door window, Colindres is seen entering the vestibule in a t-shirt and shorts with both hands behind his back as police investigate a domestic violence call. He sudden…
'76 Corvette Recovered: Edgewater, West New York Police Seize City Man, 66 '76 Corvette Recovered: Edgewater, West New York Police Seize City Man, 66
'76 Corvette Recovered: Edgewater, West New York Police Seize City Man, 66 Edgewater and West New York police teamed up to nab a 66-year-old repeat offender who they said snatched a classic Corvette. Surveillance video shows a thief stealing the ‘76 Chevy from Edgewater Motors and heading south on River Road shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, Edgewater Police Detective Lt. Steven Tibus said. West New York police notified their Edgewater colleagues that they’d recovered the vehicle at the intersection of 52nd Street and Broadway just before lunchtime Monday, the lieutenant said. Tibus and Detective Sgt. Timothy Farrell met West New York Detectives Mario Cadena…
NY Dealer Gets 11 Years, No Parole, For Moving Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ NY Dealer Gets 11 Years, No Parole, For Moving Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ
NY Dealer Gets 11 Years, No Parole, For Moving Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ A dealer who admitted flooding four North Jersey counties with massive quantities of fentanyl, meth and coke is headed to federal prison for more than a decade. Juan Carlos Merced Moreno, 45, of Manhattan must serve out just about all of his plea-bargained 11-year sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Moreno and his partners operated a fentanyl mill in Washington Heights that supplied traffickers in New Jersey with at least 25,000 pills that were distributed throughout the Garden State, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Authorities disco…
West New York Police Captain Stole $60K From Youth Academy: Prosecutor West New York Police Captain Stole $60K From Youth Academy: Prosecutor
West New York Police Captain Stole $60K From Youth Academy: Prosecutor A 49-year-old West New York police captain was charged with stealing from the West New York Youth Police Academy, which he helped raise money for, authorities said. Erwin Moreno was arrested on Thursday, June 15 after an investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Internal Affairs Unit, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Between 2016 and 2023, Moreno stole $60,000 from the organization's funds for his own benefit, Suarez said. In 2019, Moreno organized a GoFundMe for the Youth Academy, raising more than $5,000 from 66 donors. Moreno was charged with one count of theft …
DONE AND DONE: Hudson Pair Get 30 Years Each In Bergen Robbery Murder DONE AND DONE: Hudson Pair Get 30 Years Each In Bergen Robbery Murder
Done AND Done: Hudson Pair Get 30 Years Each In Bergen Robbery Murder UPDATE: Two Hudson County men who killed a Fairview pot dealer during an armed robbery at his home were sentenced to a plea-bargained 30 years each in state prison. Carlos Burgos of Jersey City and Raul Torres of North Bergen, both 23, must each serve 25½ years behind bars before they'll be eligible for parole under the terms of their respective plea agreements. The plot's mastermind, Lexie Burke, 24, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter last year in the June 2019 shooting death of David Duque-Soto. He's scheduled for sentencing on June 23, Bergen County Prosecutor Ma…
GOTCHA! Fairview Detectives Nab Habitual Criminal In Spree Of Smash-And-Grabs GOTCHA! Fairview Detectives Nab Habitual Criminal In Spree Of Smash-And-Grabs
Gotcha! Fairview Detectives Nab Habitual Criminal In Spree Of Smash-And-Grabs Fairview detectives cracked a string of smash-and-grab business burglaries after a local career criminal had a blowup with a woman over his drug use, authorities said. The phrase “known to police” was coined for offenders like Andrew Stanganelli, 32, who has a drug-related arrest record in both North Jersey and New York City that stretches back more than a decade. So it’s no surprise that he’d be on the list of usual suspects following last fall’s burglary spree. It began shortly after midnight Nov. 7 when an intruder forced open the front door of Romo Dry Cleaners on Fairview Avenue, sla…
War Of Words: Candidates Spar Over Treatment Of NJ Assemblywoman's Mom War Of Words: Candidates Spar Over Treatment Of NJ Assemblywoman's Mom
War Of Words: Candidates Spar Over Treatment Of NJ Assemblywoman's Mom The war of words is intensifying in the West New York elections. One candidate, a New Jersey assemblywoman, says her mother is getting caught in the crosshairs. The alleged perpetrators say the whole thing was made up. Angelica Jimenez — who is running for West New York commissioner on one slate — alleges her 78-year-old mother was heckled and harassed by supporters of Albio Sires — who is running for mayor of West New York on an opposing slate — when she went to vote over the weekend.  Jimenez said in an Instagram post they banged on her car window and she was also frightened by a po…
Hudson Pair Quickly Take Guilty Pleas After Jury Convicts Getaway Driver In Bergen Drug Killing Hudson Pair Quickly Take Guilty Pleas After Jury Convicts Getaway Driver In Bergen Drug Killing
Hudson Pair Quickly Take Guilty Pleas After Jury Convicts Getaway Driver In Bergen Drug Killing UPDATE: Two men charged with the cold-blooded killing of a Fairview man during an armed robbery at his apartment four years ago have taken plea deals not even three weeks after their getaway driver was convicted at a trial. Carlos Burgos of Jersey City and Raul Torres of North Bergen, both 23, took the same route as the plan’s mastermind, Lexie Burke of Jersey City, who pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter last year in the June 2019 shooting death of David Duque-Soto. Both men, like Burke, were originally charged with felony murder. Like him, they opted to plead guilty to lesser charg…
US Postal Worker Assisted In Massive Cocaine Distribution Scheme, Hudson Prosecutor Says US Postal Worker Assisted In Massive Cocaine Distribution Scheme, Hudson Prosecutor Says
US Postal Worker Assisted In Massive Cocaine Distribution Scheme, Hudson Prosecutor Says A United States Postal Service worker has been charged for his role in a massive Hudson County cocaine distribution ring, authorities said. James Belardo, 41, of West New York, faces second-degree conspiracy to distribute more than a half-ounce of cocaine, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Earlier this month, authorities announced the seizure of more than 4.4 pounds of cocaine, two handguns and high-capacity magazines from Belardo's co-defendants, Rowaldi Caceres, 39, and Hilda Membreno, 29, also both of West New York. Membreno and Caceres were found with mor…
Getaway Driver In Fairview Drug Killing Convicted Of Felony Murder, Conspiracy, More Getaway Driver In Fairview Drug Killing Convicted Of Felony Murder, Conspiracy, More
Getaway Driver In Fairview Drug Killing Convicted Of Felony Murder, Conspiracy, More UPDATE: The getaway driver in an armed robbery turned cold-blooded killing in Fairview was convicted this week of felony murder, among other counts, following a trial in Hackensack. David Martinez of North Bergen will get a minimum 30-year state prison sentence, at the very least, for the June 2019 shooting death of David Duque-Soto at his Fourth Street apartment. Superior Court Judge Margaret M. Foti, who presided over the four-week trial, scheduled sentencing for April 21. Assistant Bergen County Prosecutors Suzanne Cevasco and Matthew Fitzpatrick presented 16 witnesses to prove that Ma…
No Foul Play Seen In Death Of Hudson County Woman, 22, At Meadowlands-Area Motel: Prosecutor No Foul Play Seen In Death Of Hudson County Woman, 22, At Meadowlands-Area Motel: Prosecutor
No Foul Play Seen In Death Of Hudson County Woman, 22, At Meadowlands-Area Motel: Prosecutor A funeral Mass this Saturday morning will honor a 22-year-old Hudson County woman who was tragically found dead in a motel near the Meadowlands earlier this week. The death of Karol Mejia of Guttenberg at the Super 8 Motel just off Route 120 "does not appear to involve foul play," Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on Friday, March 3. A final determination will be made by the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office after receiving the results of toxicology screening. Carlstadt police responding to a 911 call from the Washington Avenue motel used a master key card to enter the …
Body Of Missing Hudson Man Found In His Van In Englewood, No Foul Play Suspected Body Of Missing Hudson Man Found In His Van In Englewood, No Foul Play Suspected
Body Of Missing Hudson Man Found In His Van In Englewood, No Foul Play Suspected The body of an audio engineer from West New York who'd gone missing earlier this month was found in his van parked outside an Englewood day care center on Friday, multiple responders said. Investigators said they don't suspect any wrongdoing in the death of Lestor Tabora, 31, whose body was found near the corner of William Street and West Linden Avenue. An autopsy scheduled Saturday morning by the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office will provide definitive results, they said. Tabora was last seen driving the white GMC van in Fairview on Feb. 8. Loved ones described Tabora as a "kind-h…
Route 46 DWI Crash Sends Both Drivers To Hospital, One In Custody Route 46 DWI Crash Sends Both Drivers To Hospital, One In Custody
Route 46 DWI Crash Sends Both Drivers To Hospital, One In Custody UPDATE: A driver from West New York was drunk when his sedan crashed into an SUV, sending the other driver to the hospital, on Route 46 in South Hackensack, authorities said. Jose A. Francoflores, 33, was driving a 2010 Honda Accord that slammed into a 2022 Volkswagen at the Phillips Avenue intersection around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, Detective Sgt. James Donatello said. Police found both vehicles heavily damaged, the sergeant said. The 64-year-old male VW driver from Elmwood Park was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center by the Little Ferry First Aid Corps with injuries that w…
Good Samaritan Leads Lodi PD To Drunk Driver: Police Good Samaritan Leads Lodi PD To Drunk Driver: Police
Good Samaritan Leads Lodi PD To Drunk Driver: Police A good Samaritan led Lodi police to a drunk driver who'd blacked out behind the wheel across from headquarters, authorities said. The citizen called police from Memorial Drive and began following the 2013 Jeep Wrangler driven by Franklin R. Sosa, 42, of West New York shortly before midnight late last week, Lodi Police Sgt. Dominic Miller said. He then told them the driver had stopped in a Mercer Street parking lot, where responding officers found Sosa slumped over the wheel, the sergeant said. They knocked on the window, then removed Sosa from the Jeep, administered a field test and arrest…
Newark Airport Sexual Assault: Man Attacked Woman In Garage Near Brand New Terminal, Police Say Newark Airport Sexual Assault: Man Attacked Woman In Garage Near Brand New Terminal, Police Say
Newark Airport Sexual Assault: Man Attacked Woman In Garage Near Brand New Terminal, Police Say A 40-year-old West New York man has been charged after authorities say he sexually assaulted a woman walking to her car in a parking garage near Newark Airport's brand new terminal. Thomassal Watkins attacked the woman in the Conrac Parking Garage at Newark Airport's brand new Terminal A around 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Caroline Lawlor, who is prosecuting the case. Watkins was quickly apprehend on the property and subsequently charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, third-degree aggravated as…
Man Made Teen Sexually Abuse 4-Year-Old, Record It: Hudson Prosecutor Man Made Teen Sexually Abuse 4-Year-Old, Record It: Hudson Prosecutor
Man Made Teen Sexually Abuse 4-Year-Old, Record It: Hudson Prosecutor A 31-year-old Hudson County man was arrested on various charges after authorities say he instructed a 13-year-old boy to sexually abuse a 4-year-old girl child and send him recordings of it. Joseph Suarez, of West New York, disseminated footage from the out-of-state boy over social media platform Discord, the Hudson County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force on Jan. 10, Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. A search of Suarez's home turned up more than 1,000 files of child sex abuse material, the prosecutor said. He was charged with child endangerment, facilitating child sex abuse materia…
Basketball Coach Entered Girls' Locker Room, Inappropriately Messaged Teens: Hudson Prosecutor Basketball Coach Entered Girls' Locker Room, Inappropriately Messaged Teens: Hudson Prosecutor
Basketball Coach Entered Girls' Locker Room, Inappropriately Messaged Teens: Hudson Prosecutor A high school basketball coach in Hudson County was arrested after authorities said he went into a girls' locker room and sent inappropriate messages to three teen girls on social media. Memorial High School coach Ariel Alava, 41, of West New York, went into the locker room after a football game in Jersey City on Jan. 27, 2022, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.  Two 15-year-old girls and Memorial High School students, and a former 17-year-old female student, also reported receiving inappropriate messages on social media from Alava on various dates between August and Oct…
Paramus Police Bust Burglary Crew Paramus Police Bust Burglary Crew
Paramus Police Bust Burglary Crew A watchful neighbor gave Paramus police the drop on a Colombian burglary crew that had just broken into a local home, leading to four quick arrests, authorities said. “Polícia!” the getaway driver shouted into his cell phone as Officers Kevin Osback and Dan DiRienzo arrived at the Haywood Drive home shortly after 11:30 a.m. last Friday, Dec. 23, Deputy Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. The officers and several other colleagues converged on the block after a resident called to report two hooded bandits dressed all in black entering the rear of a neighbor’s home, the deputy chief said on Tue…
Dealer Admits Role In Major Ring That Moved Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ From NYC Dealer Admits Role In Major Ring That Moved Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ From NYC
Dealer Admits Role In Major Ring That Moved Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ From NYC One of three Manhattan men accused of flooding four North Jersey counties with massive quantities of fentanyl, meth and coke admitted his role in the organization, authorities said. Juan Carlos Merced Moreno, 45, and his partners operated a fentanyl mill in Washington Heights that supplied traffickers in New Jersey with at least 25,000 pills that were distributed throughout the Garden State, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. And that wasn't all. Authorities discovered the operation during what began as an investigation into the Hudson County crew, which flooded the str…
GOTCHA! Paramus Detectives Probing Home Burglary Nab Bergenfield Man With Priors GOTCHA! Paramus Detectives Probing Home Burglary Nab Bergenfield Man With Priors
Gotcha! Paramus Detectives Probing Home Burglary Nab Bergenfield Man With Priors Paramus detectives identified, tracked down and on Friday arrested a Bergenfield man who they said kicked in a homeowner's door during a failed burglary attempt two months ago. Mauricio Angulo, 43, emerged from a Clifton Avenue apartment in Bergenfield and was immediately seized by Detective Lt. Glen Pagano and Detectives Daniel Cullen, Joshua Capizzi and Matt McGuire around 7 a.m. Dec. 9, Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said. Cullen had tied Angulo to an Oct. 13 on the 100 block of Spring Valley Road, the chief said. Angulo and an as-yet-unidentified accomplice had kicked in the front…
These Are Some Of The 40+ Families Displaced By West New York Fire These Are Some Of The 40+ Families Displaced By West New York Fire
These Are Some Of The 40+ Families Displaced By West New York Fire Some lived in the building for decades, others were just settling in. All 41 families lost their homes due to a fire on Thursday, Dec. 1. And now, they're starting from scratch. Here are the GoFundMe campaigns launched for just some of the families displaced by the blaze at 55th and Madison Street: Lou Nagurka and his daughter, Brooke: Lou was a volunteer baseball coach in the WNY Babe Ruth League for 45 yeas, and a high school baseball coach. The Norona family: The family's dog Rio died in the blaze, and they'll be living in a hotel until they find a more permanent housing solution. Th…
Fire Tears Through Union City Salvation Army Donation Center (VIDEO) Fire Tears Through Union City Salvation Army Donation Center (VIDEO)
Fire Tears Through Union City Salvation Army Donation Center (Video) Firefighters were working to knock down a fire at a Union City Salvation Army donation center Thursday, Dec. 1 (scroll for video). ALSO SEE: Dramatic Footage Shows Rescue Of Family In West New York Fire, 41 Families Displaced The blaze broke out at the store on the 900 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, and struck multiple alarms as of 8 p.m. There are currently 2 major fires in North Hudson, Madison Ave in WNY and Kennedy Blvd in Union City. @HobokenFire & @HobokenVol_EMS are providing Mutual Aid to North Hudson Regional Fire. God Bless the residents of those cities right now & all of…