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Palisades Park, NJ

Teen Seriously Injured By Hit-Run Driver Who Had Sedan Repaired, Bergen County Prosecutor Says Teen Seriously Injured By Hit-Run Driver Who Had Sedan Repaired, Bergen County Prosecutor Says
Teen Seriously Injured By Hit-Run Driver Who Had Sedan Repaired, Bergen County Prosecutor Says A 28-year-old Fort Lee man is facing multiple charges following a hit-and-run accident that left a teenager seriously injured last month, authorities said. Hugo R. Paz-Lajuj was identified as the driver who struck the 17-year-old boy on Oct. 14 around 6:40 a.m., at Brinkerhoff Avenue near 14th Street in Palisades Park, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The boy was hospitalized with serious injuries and Paz-Lajuj fled, Musella said. After a month-long investigation, detectives identified Paz-Lajuj as the driver and found his 2004 Honda Civic, which had reportedly be…
Reassuring Bergen County Dispatcher Erik Midgley, Man Of Many Talents, Dies Suddenly, 47 Reassuring Bergen County Dispatcher Erik Midgley, Man Of Many Talents, Dies Suddenly, 47
Reassuring Bergen County Dispatcher Erik Midgley, Man Of Many Talents, Dies Suddenly, 47 Erik J. Midgley, a dedicated Bergen County Public Safety dispatcher and lifelong community volunteer, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Nov. 10, according to his obituary on the Hunt-Stellato Funeral Home website. He was 47 years old. Known for his reassuring presence during emergencies, Erik spent many years as the calming voice on the other end of the line for those in crisis, his obituary says. His legacy includes years of volunteer work with the Palisades Park and Fairview Ambulance Corps. Erik worked as a public servant for more than 25 years, including 19 with the Bergen County…
Burglar With Forehead Flashlight Wakes Sleeping Homeowner In Palisades Park: Police Burglar With Forehead Flashlight Wakes Sleeping Homeowner In Palisades Park: Police
Burglar With Forehead Flashlight Wakes Sleeping Homeowner In Palisades Park: Police A sleeping homeowner awoke to a burglar in her home Monday, Oct. 28 in Palisades Park, police said. Officers were called to the home and found the back kitchen sliding glass door had been smashed with a flower pot around 8:20 p.m., Palisades Park police said. The burglar went into the home and upstairs to the second floor, where the homeowner was sleeping. The homeowner awoke and went to the staircase, where she saw the man, who immediately fled, according to Rotundo.  The burglar was described as being approximately 5'6" and wearing a forehead flashlight. Bergen County Bureau of Crim…
Man Sexually Assaulted Victim Since Age 5 For Years In Bergen County: Prosecutor Man Sexually Assaulted Victim Since Age 5 For Years In Bergen County: Prosecutor
Man Sexually Assaulted Victim Since Age 5 For Years In Bergen County: Prosecutor A 46-year-old Bergen County man has been arrested on accusations he sexually assaulted a child, authorities said. Pedro Osorio-Estrada assaulted the child multiple times when they were between ages 5 and 15 in Palisades Park, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He was charged on Oct. 21, following an investigation with various counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, Musella announced. Osorio-Estrada remains lodged in the Bergen County Jail p…
Two Pedestrians Struck, Seriously Injured In Palisades Park Two Pedestrians Struck, Seriously Injured In Palisades Park
Two Pedestrians Struck, Seriously Injured In Palisades Park Two pedestrians were hospitalized with serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle in Palisades Park on Sunday, Sept. 8, authorities said. The two were crossing the street at West Edsall Boulevard and Highland Avenue when they were hit by a car just before 8 p.m., local police said. Both were rushed to the hospital and the county prosecutor's office is investigating, police said.
Palisades Park Man, 31, Drowns In NY Lake During Family Outing Palisades Park Man, 31, Drowns In NY Lake During Family Outing
Palisades Park Man, 31, Drowns In NY Lake During Family Outing A man on an outing with his family at Harriman State Park drowned after jumping into the lake and swimming about 100 feet away. The incident occurred in Rockland County around 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 18, at Lake Sebago in Stony Point. According to Trooper Steven Nevel with the New York State Police, a preliminary investigation revealed that Carlos G. Gomez Tay, age 31, from Palisades Park, New Jersey, was with his family at the lake and went swimming.  Tay swam about 100 feet away from his family and started calling for help, Nevel said. Nevel said he then submerged and did not resur…
Fairview SWAT Standoff Ends In Rutherford Man's Arrest, Police Say Fairview SWAT Standoff Ends In Rutherford Man's Arrest, Police Say
Fairview SWAT Standoff Ends In Rutherford Man's Arrest, Police Say A SWAT standoff in Fairview ended in the arrest of a Rutherford man in the early-morning hours of Tuesday, Aug. 13, police said. Fairview police received an anonymous call just before 1 a.m. saying someone was trying to kill her, Fairview's deputy police chief John Pierotti said.  Officers on scene on Franklin Avenue encountered an uncooperative female in the backyard with possible injuries, the deputy chief said. The female was not allowing officers inside of the house and said that her boyfriend was still inside. The boyfriend, later identified as Jonathan Fauret, 35, of Rutherford…
Fairview, Edgewater Spas Among 9 Busted Offering Sex For Cash, Feds Say Fairview, Edgewater Spas Among 9 Busted Offering Sex For Cash, Feds Say
Fairview, Edgewater Spas Among 9 Busted Offering Sex For Cash, Feds Say Four people have been charged with offering sexual favors at nine different massage parlors and spas across North Jersey and New York, federal officials said. Zhejun Piao, 37, a Chinese national, Miyeon Choi, 37, a South Korean national, Shangxian Cui, 36, Chinese national, and Meixiang Jin, 34, of Palisades Park, New Jersey, are charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit interstate travel or transportation in aid of a racketeering enterprise., U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Friday, Aug. 9. The following nine spas and massage parlors owned and operated by …
These North Jersey Pools Offer Day Passes To Non-Residents These North Jersey Pools Offer Day Passes To Non-Residents
These North Jersey Pools Offer Day Passes To Non-Residents Summer weather has arrived and will be sticking around for the foreseeable future. Cool off at North Jersey pools, many of which are now open for the season. Here's which ones offer day-passes to non-residents: Bogota: Day passes offered to Bergen County residents only at $15 per person. Check the website for hours. Darlington State Park, Mahwah: Bergen County adults can enter for $10 on weekends and $8 on weekdays, children are $6. Highlands Natural Pool, Ringwood: Day passes are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for children. Check the website for hours. Palisades Park: Open we…
Woman In Teaneck Street Fight Arrested, Victim Douses Her, Several Others With Pepper Spray Woman In Teaneck Street Fight Arrested, Victim Douses Her, Several Others With Pepper Spray
Woman In Teaneck Street Fight Arrested, Victim Douses Her, Several Others With Pepper Spray Teaneck police responding to a street fight between two women arrested one of them and summoned EMS after the other discharged pepper spray, authorities said. Fransheska Liriano-Benitez, 32, of Palisades Park had punched the other woman in the head outside a Palisade Avenue home between Griggs and Sherman avenues shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, Police Chief Andrew R. McGurr said. The victim then tried to blast her with pepper spray, which affected Liriano-Benitz and several bystanders, the chief said. Members of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps treated Liriano-Benitez and t…
Ridgefield Senior Hospitalized In Accidental Bedroom Fire Ridgefield Senior Hospitalized In Accidental Bedroom Fire
Ridgefield Senior Hospitalized In Accidental Bedroom Fire A Ridgefield senior was hospitalized early Saturday following an accidental bedroom fire, responders said. A mattress in her second-floor bedroom on Elm Avenue caught fire after the tenant fell asleep with a lit cigarette around 6:30 a.m. May 11, a family member said. An oxygen tank the woman uses also caught fire, the relative said. EMS tended to the victim before transporting her. Firefighters contained the fire and quickly doused the flames. Mutual aid was provided at the scene and in coverage by firefighters from Cliffside Park, Fairview and Palisades Park. Damien Danis took the pho…
Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother
Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Questionable DNA evidence found under the fingernails of a 70-year-old Bergen County woman bludgeoned and burned in her home may have gotten her killer a new trial, but it didn't change the outcome. For a second time, a jury in Hackensack convicted Daniel Rochat on Wednesday of all charges in the brutal September 2012 slaying of real estate agent Barbara Vernieri in her East Rutherford home. Rochat, 48, of Wood-Ridge was originally convicted in June 2017 of beating Vernieri, then pouring gasoline on her and around her home before setting it on fire to cover up the crime scene. Pros…
Sixth Defendant Charged In Armed Edgewater Robbery Being Held In Westchester Sixth Defendant Charged In Armed Edgewater Robbery Being Held In Westchester
Armed Robbery Edgewater Holdup Bronx Westchester 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: The broad-daylight holdup of an Edgewater shopper last fall was committed by an armed robbery crew that included a Bronx man who was arrested this week in Westchester, authorities said. Jose A. Santana Torres, 22, and his partners followed the victim from Hudson County to an unidentified shopping center on River Road in last Oct. 24, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Two of them approached the victim and stole a watch at gunpoint while a third member of the crew served as lookout. The robbers then hopped into getaway vehicles driven by companions. The mid-afternoon holdu…
Toddler Hospitalized With Serious Burns, PalPark Private Day Care Worker Jailed Toddler Hospitalized With Serious Burns, PalPark Private Day Care Worker Jailed
Toddler Hospitalized With Serious Burns, PalPark Private Day Care Worker Jailed A toddler was hospitalized with serious burns that authorities said were sustained at a home that operates as a daycare center in Palisades Park. Ann Zheng, 24, was jailed on child endangerment charges after the toddler was burned at Dearest Angel Child Care, which operates out of a private home on Glen Avenue off East Edsall Boulevard, on Thursday, March 28. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said his Special Victims Unit was contacted by Palisades Park police. They learned, he said, that Zheng, “while having an assumed responsibility for the child, neglected the child, resulting in th…
Man, 31, Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen In Pal Park Man, 31, Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen In Pal Park
Man, 31, Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen In Pal Park A 31-year-old man living in Palisades Park was charged with sexually assaulting a pre-teen. Jorge Orrego-Garcia “sexually assaulted a juvenile under the age of 13 in Palisades Park…in the past,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Monday, March 25. Records show that Orrego-Garcia is accused of a pair of alleged sexual assaults in 2021. Detectives from Musella’s Special Victims Unit arrested Orrego-Garcia on Friday. He remained held Monday in the Bergen County Jail, charged with two counts each of sexual assault on a pre-teen and child endangerment through sexual conduct. Althou…
Who Was Xavier Contreras? Homeless Laborer ID’d As Fatal Fire Victim At Former Ridgefield B&B Who Was Xavier Contreras? Homeless Laborer ID’d As Fatal Fire Victim At Former Ridgefield B&B
Who Was Xavier Contreras? Homeless Laborer ID’d As Fatal Fire Victim At Former Ridgefield B&B 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A former bed and breakfast in Ridgefield had been leveled by fire when responders found the remains of a man wrapped around a support beam. “He must’ve been alive and trying to hold on when the floor above him collapsed,” said a firefighter who was at the predawn blaze at the former Toddle Inn on Broad Avenue on Wednesday, March 6. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella identified the victim on Friday as 42-year-old Xavier Contreras. An Ecuadoran national, the homeless Contreras sometimes joined the groups of day laborers waiting for passing contractors in nearby Palisades Park, ju…
ARSON? Body Found Following Fierce Fire In Ridgefield (UPDATE) ARSON? Body Found Following Fierce Fire In Ridgefield (UPDATE)
Arson? Body Found Following Fierce Fire In Ridgefield (Update) 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A former bed and breakfast in Ridgefield had been leveled by fire when responders found the remains of a man wrapped around a support beam. “He must’ve been alive and trying to hold on when the floor above him collapsed,” said a firefighter who was at the predawn blaze at the former Toddle Inn on Broad Avenue on Wednesday, March 6. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella identified the victim on Friday as 42-year-old Xavier Contreras. An Ecuadoran national, the homeless Contreras sometimes joined the groups of day laborers waiting for passing contractors in nearby Palisades Park, jus…
UPDATE: Arson Investigators Probe Multi-Truck Fire In Ridgefield UPDATE: Arson Investigators Probe Multi-Truck Fire In Ridgefield
Update: Arson Investigators Probe Multi-Truck Fire In Ridgefield 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Investigators were probing the cause of a multi-truck fire in Ridgefield that sent up a column of black smoke visible for miles. No injuries were reported in the three-alarm blaze, which ignited behind the Hanjin warehouse on Railroad Avenue near Pleasantview Avenue shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday, March 3. At least four box trucks and rigs were destroyed or severely damaged. Mutual aid responders either at the scene or in coverage included firefighters from Cliffside Park, Fairview, Leonia, Palisades Park and Ridgefield Park. The County Wide Emergency Response Team also responded. …
GOTCHA! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark GOTCHA! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark
Gotcha! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark Authorities have charged five men with robbing three separate victims of wristwatches – stabbing one of them – in two Bergen County towns, thanks to an arrest by Port Authority police. Two of the robberies occurred in broad daylight on River Road in Edgewater last fall, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Friday, March 1. The third included a stabbing in the victim’s driveway in Palisades Park, the prosecutor said. One of two robbers brandished a handgun while a colleague stood lookout when they robbed the first Edgewater victim shortly after 3 a.m. Oct. 24, Musella said. The ro…
GOTCHA! Band Of Bandits Charged In Back-To-Back Route 46 Gas Station Holdups: Bergen Prosecutor GOTCHA! Band Of Bandits Charged In Back-To-Back Route 46 Gas Station Holdups: Bergen Prosecutor
Gotcha! Band Of Bandits Charged In Back-To-Back Route 46 Gas Station Holdups: Bergen Prosecutor A quartet of disguised New Yorkers tied to holdups on their side of the Hudson committed back-to-back gunpoint robberies of gas station convenience stores just minutes from the George Washington Bridge, authorities charged. The total take: five grand. Rahquan Brooks, 20, and Kevin Ulysses, 19, of the Bronx had two juveniles with them when they drove up to the Exxon station on eastbound Route 46 just before the Overpeck Creek bridge in Ridgefield Park shortly before 4:30 a.m. July 24, 2022, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The silver sedan had been carjacked out of Brooklyn thre…
Illegal Border Crosser Seized By ICE After Punching Local NJ Officer In Face Illegal Border Crosser Seized By ICE After Punching Local NJ Officer In Face
Illegal Border Crosser Seized By ICE After Punching Local NJ Officer In Face A Guatemalan national who authorities said crossed the U.S. border illegally was seized by federal agents after he punched a Closter police officer in the face. Emiliano Cotzalo-Santiago, 24, was living in Palisades Park and working on a construction site in Closter when he began walking down the middle of Cedar Lane, obstructing traffic, Police Capt. Vincent Aiello said. This prompted calls to police. Cotzal-Santiago “attacked the first officer that he came in contact with by punching him in the face,” the captain said. A second officer sustained cuts on his hand as they attempted to han…
Firefighters Battle Frigid Temps To Douse Ridgefield Blaze Firefighters Battle Frigid Temps To Douse Ridgefield Blaze
Firefighters Battle Frigid Temps To Douse Ridgefield Blaze Ridgefield firefighters conquered frigid temperatures to quickly snuff a weekend blaze. The two-alarm electrical fire ignited in an attic vent at the single-family Shaler Boulevard home at Lancaster Road shortly before 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, responders said. "They made a great stop," a mutual aid provider said. "It could have been a lot worse, but because of their quick response they were able to knock it down quick." Mutual aid responders included firefighters from Cliffside Park, Fairview, Leonia and Palisades Park, as well as borough police and EMS. No injuries were reported. Jo…
10-Year Minimum Awaits Repeat Child Porn Collector Caught With 1,300 Files At Newark Airport 10-Year Minimum Awaits Repeat Child Porn Collector Caught With 1,300 Files At Newark Airport
10-Year Minimum Awaits Repeat Child Porn Collector Caught With 1,300 Files At Newark Airport A convicted child porn collector from North Jersey who'd moved to Ecuador after serving his time here is headed to federal prison for at least 10 more years. Christopher Carvajal, 30, most recently of North Bergen, had 900 videos and more than 400 images of child sex -- some of it involving infants or toddlers -- on his iPhone when Homeland Security Investigations seized him at Newark Airport last year. It also contained messages in which Carvajal "discussed his desire for sexual encounters with young children," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Rather than risk a much more lengthy…
Brazen Looters Ram Stolen Truck Through Window Of Route 46 Thrift Store Brazen Looters Ram Stolen Truck Through Window Of Route 46 Thrift Store
Brazen Looters Ram Stolen Truck Through Window Of Route 46 Thrift Store A group of masked burglars looted a new thrift store off Route 46 in Little Ferry by ramming a pickup they’d just stolen through the front window before dawn Wednesday. The quartet hopped out wearing gloves and hoodies and quickly snatched up mostly handbags at Ron’s Buy Sell Trade after the crash bent a metal security gate around 2 a.m. Dec. 20, Little Ferry Police Chief James Walters said. The bandits then sped off east on the highway in a black Dodge Challenger, leaving behind the pickup stolen moments earlier from outside the Ridgefield Park home of an employee for a landscaping company…
Brawl At End Of Teaneck HS Basketball Game Versus Hackensack Brings Area Reinforcements Brawl At End Of Teaneck HS Basketball Game Versus Hackensack Brings Area Reinforcements
Brawl At End Of Teaneck HS Basketball Game Versus Hackensack Brings Area Reinforcements A wave of police from nearly a dozen area law enforcement agencies converged on Teaneck High School after a brawl erupted Thursday night at the end of a two-point boys basketball victory over Hackensack. A girls basketball game against both schools in Hackensack had been canceled following a fight there, which brought extra uniformed and plainclothes officers to the Dec. 14 match at Teaneck High School. At the end of the 54-52 boys game, the officers “observed several small fights erupt between groups of spectators,” Teaneck Police Chief Andrew McGurr said. There was also a report that a t…
Luxury NYC High-Rise Manager Stabbed By 2 Robbers Outside PalPark Home Luxury NYC High-Rise Manager Stabbed By 2 Robbers Outside PalPark Home
Luxury NYC High-Rise Manager Stabbed By 2 Robbers Outside PalPark Home A manager at a luxurious midtown-Manhattan highrise was stabbed in the leg while fighting off two robbers who'd jumped him outside his Palisades Park home Friday night. The victim was losing a lot of blood from a deep gash when borough police arrived shortly after 9 p.m. Nov. 3. The officers applied a tourniquet to the left leg that slowed the bleeding, authorities said. The victim told police he’d just gotten back after celebrating a work milestone in the city when he was attacked from behind while walking from his car to the front door of his East Palisades Boulevard home. The robbers o…
Tractor-Trailer Ditches Off Route 46 Tractor-Trailer Ditches Off Route 46
Tractor-Trailer Ditches Off Route 46 A tractor-trailer driver survived a crash on Route 46 in Palisades Park that nearly crushed the cab of his rig. The driver was headed west on Route 46 near the bridge over East Homestead Avenue when he veered off the road and the cab came loose as it headed partially down a wooded embankment shortly after 4 a.m. Friday, Nov. 4. He was taken by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening. "This guy was lucky to be alive," one witness at the scene said. "The cab was crushed and ripped off the truck." Westbound Route 46 in Pal…
Homeless Laborer Kicks Englewood Hospital EMT In Face In Ambo, Faces Severe Charges: PalPark PD Homeless Laborer Kicks Englewood Hospital EMT In Face In Ambo, Faces Severe Charges: PalPark PD
Homeless Laborer Kicks Englewood Hospital EMT In Face In Ambo, Faces Severe Charges: PalPark PD A homeless day laborer from Palisades Park deliberately kicked a female EMT in the face as an ambulance took him to the hospital for alcohol treatment, authorities said. Police said they called the ambulance for Xavier Contreras, 41, under the provisions of a state law known as the Alcohol Treatment and Rehabilitation Act (ATRA). Area emergency responders are familiar with Contreras, an Ecuadorian national who'd previously been arrested for trespassing and various other misdemeanors over the past several years. Under ATRA, alcoholics and drunks can't be prosecuted simply because they dran…
Bergen County Mom Turns Passion Into Purpose With Persian Restaurant Bergen County Mom Turns Passion Into Purpose With Persian Restaurant
Bergen County Mom Turns Passion Into Purpose With Persian Restaurant Cooking has already given Bergen County's Shahin Rezaei so much. It gave her something to do when her she moved to the U.S. with her husband, Daryush Saadati, from Sweden 26 years ago. She didn't have a car and she didn't have anything to do when Saadati went to work, and so Rezaei passed the time by perfecting her recipes. Cooking gave Rezaei friends: She met so many people through the catering business she opened seven years ago, when the family's furniture store closed. But most of all, cooking has given Rezaei purpose. "Because of all of this, I know who I am," said Rezaei, more …
PalPark Resident, 25, Charged With Raping Pre-Teen Multiple Times PalPark Resident, 25, Charged With Raping Pre-Teen Multiple Times
PalPark Resident, 25, Charged With Raping Pre-Teen Multiple Times A 25-year-old unemployed man living in Palisades Park raped a pre-teen on more than one occasion, authorities charged. Edmer Ajualip Perez was taken into custody on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and has remained in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, records show. He's charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, as well as two sexual assault counts and a single child endangerment through sexual conduct charge. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said detectives from his Special Victims Unit began investigating along with Pa…
PalPark Motorcyclist, 33, Killed In NJ Turnpike Crash PalPark Motorcyclist, 33, Killed In NJ Turnpike Crash
PalPark Motorcyclist, 33, Killed In NJ Turnpike Crash A motorcyclist from Palisades Park was killed in a weekend crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in Ridgefield, State Police confirmed. Michael Agudelo, 33, was headed south on the turnpike's eastern spur near the Vince Lombardi Service Area when his Yamaha rear-ended a Buick sedan shortly before 2:30 a.m. Saturday, July 22, NJSP Sgt. Philip Curry said. Augdelo was ejected and sustained fatal injuries, the sergeant said on Sunday. The crash remains under investigation, Curry said.