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Prospect Park, NJ

GOTCHA! East Orange Fugitive Caught, Charged With Shooting Prospect Park Woman On New Year's GOTCHA! East Orange Fugitive Caught, Charged With Shooting Prospect Park Woman On New Year's
Gotcha! East Orange Fugitive Caught, Charged With Shooting Prospect Park Woman On New Year's State and federal authorities captured a 23-year-old fugitive from East Orange who was wanted for shooting a woman on New Year’s Day in Paterson. It was just before 5 a.m. this past Jan. 1 that the 25-year-old victim from Prospect Park arrived at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center via private vehicle.  She’d been shot near the corner of Market Street and East 33rd Street, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In- Charge Isa Abbassi said in a joint announcement. Eudys Santios-Toribio was subsequently identified as the shooter and a manh…
Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM
Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM A career criminal from Passaic County who's been busted dozens of times in North Jersey in just the past few years used an explosive device to damage an ATM, federal authorities charged. Nicolas Torres, 41, of Passaic, has amassed a lengthy rap sheet over much of his adult life, mostly involving business break-ins that local police and county prosecutors have dealt with. This time, though, the FBI's got him. Torres was captured on surveillance video igniting the device in front of the Chase Bank ATM on North 6th Street in Prospect Park in the early morning hours of July 5, 2022, U.S. Attor…
SIBLING THIEVERY: Brothers Captured Same Day, Charged With Separate Crimes, Haledon Police Say SIBLING THIEVERY: Brothers Captured Same Day, Charged With Separate Crimes, Haledon Police Say
Sibling Thievery: Brothers Captured Same Day, Charged With Separate Crimes, Haledon Police Say A thief tried to outrun Haledon police while pushing a shopping cart packed with nearly $2,800 worth of hot merchandise on the very same day that they arrested his older brother for stealing a car, authorities said. Borough resident Ahmad Elfki, 20, was still in the Walgreens on Belmont Avenue when Officer Kris Duci, Corporal April Latona and Detective Lt. Tim Lindberg arrived, they said. Elfki (above, left), who was previously banned from the store, bolted out an emergency fire exit, triggering an alarm, Deputy Police Chief George Guzman Jr. said. He hustled toward Morrissee Avenue with “…
Two Paterson Inspectors Took Bribes For Permits: NJ Attorney General Two Paterson Inspectors Took Bribes For Permits: NJ Attorney General
Two Paterson Inspectors Took Bribes For Permits: NJ Attorney General Two Paterson housing and zoning inspectors were indicted on Tuesday, Feb. 20 for accepting bribes in exchange for issuing illegitimate building permits, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Jose Fermin, a 50-year-old Prospect Park resident and Jose Juan Guerrero-Cruz, a 44-year-old Florida resident carried out their scheme between Dec. 2020 and Feb. 2022,  producing bogus documents that including imitation signatures purportedly written by Paterson’s Planning and Zoning Director, Platkin said.  Guerrero-Cruz and Fermin would accept money in exchange for Fermin producing the…
Major Effort By Firefighters, Emergency Responders Follows Partial Hawthorne Building Collapse Major Effort By Firefighters, Emergency Responders Follows Partial Hawthorne Building Collapse
Major Effort By Firefighters, Emergency Responders Follows Partial Hawthorne Building Collapse Firefighters spent half a day in the cold and rain stabilizing a Hawthorne apartment building where a floor partially collapsed over the weekend. The rear wall and portions of the first floor collapsed into the basement of Building E at the Hawthorne Garden Apartments on Rock Road around 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, borough Fire Chief Joseph Speranza said. Firefighters and police immediately began evacuating the building and securing the utilities, the chief said. Nine residents and six pets remain temporarily displaced while borough officials determine the next steps. Overall, more than three…
Clifton Councilwoman Lauren Murphy Dies At 69: 'Champion For The Underdog' Clifton Councilwoman Lauren Murphy Dies At 69: 'Champion For The Underdog'
Clifton Councilwoman Lauren Murphy Dies At 69: 'Champion For The Underdog' Lauren Murphy, a Clifton councilwoman, died on Saturday, Jan. 13 at the age of 69, according to her obituary.  Murphy served as executive director of the Passaic County One Stop Career Center in Paterson and previously spent 34 years as an administrator at the Passaic County Board of Social Services, her obituary reads.  She was elected to the Clifton City Council 2014 and served as president of the Clifton Democratic Club, according to her obituary. "Our hearts are heavy," Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said on Facebook. "Lauren Murphy did so much for so many. She was a champion fo…
Smoky Post-Christmas House Fire Ravages Passaic Home Smoky Post-Christmas House Fire Ravages Passaic Home
Smoky Post-Christmas House Fire Ravages Passaic Home A smoky house fire in Passaic went to four alarms the day after Christmas. No injuries were immediately reported in the blaze, which ignited in a Van Buren Street home near Central Avenue around 11 a.m., Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. "All tenants are reported to be out and safe," the mayor said around noon. "Nobody appears to be in the building." Firefighters were quickly removed after a partial ceiling collapse, Lora said. They had two ladder trucks and multiple hand lines in operation. Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE Although smoke met them at the scene, the fire may have b…
One Caught, On Sought: Pair Wanted In Paterson Armed Robberies Pursued Through Fair Lawn One Caught, On Sought: Pair Wanted In Paterson Armed Robberies Pursued Through Fair Lawn
One Caught, On Sought: Pair Wanted In Paterson Armed Robberies Pursued Through Fair Lawn A police pursuit through Fair Lawn of two men wanted for a pair of armed robberies in Paterson ended, as Christmas Eve began, with one caught and the other sought. Authorities had been looking for a stolen Chevy Colorado pickup truck used in both holdups, including the robbery of a 7-Eleven on Ryerson Avenue around midnight on Friday, Dec. 22. Paterson Street Crime detectives spotted the pickup and pursued it into Fair Lawn around midnight Sunday. The pair bailed out near the intersection of Canger Place and Bellair Avenue. Citywide Towing collected the stolen pickup truck. Kyle Mazza…
Firefighters Battle Vacant Building Blaze On Frequently Struck Paterson Street Firefighters Battle Vacant Building Blaze On Frequently Struck Paterson Street
Firefighters Battle Vacant Building Blaze On Frequently Struck Paterson Street A Paterson street that's had more than its share of late-night fires in multi-family houses had another last night. Flames began quickly spreading on the second floor of a vacant 2½-story building on Lafayette Street just off Rosa Parks Boulevard shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23, responders said. It quickly extended to the third floor and forced firefighters into an exterior attic while threatening a twin home next door. Fire officials asked NJ TRANSIT to temporarily close the elevated railway above Lafayette Street. Firefighters doused hot spots past midnight. No one was found ins…
Terror Threats Cancel CAIR Banquet Where Prospect Park Mayor Is Slated To Speak Terror Threats Cancel CAIR Banquet Where Prospect Park Mayor Is Slated To Speak
Terror Threats Cancel CAIR Banquet Where Prospect Park Mayor Is Slated To Speak The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has cancelled its annual banquet slated to happen this weekend in Arlington, VA over death and bomb threats that may be connected to the war between Israel and Hamas. Officials from CAIR said managers and staff at the Crystal Gateway Marriott received death threats, and threats to place bombs in the parking garage were also made, ahead of the Saturday, Oct. 21 event. Important community update: over the past 24 hours, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian extremists have made dozens of... Posted by CAIR on Thursday, October 19, 2023 Both this…
UPDATE: Lyft Driver From Morris Found Guilty Of Fondling Underage Prospect Park Passenger UPDATE: Lyft Driver From Morris Found Guilty Of Fondling Underage Prospect Park Passenger
Update: Lyft Driver From Morris Found Guilty Of Fondling Underage Prospect Park Passenger A former U.S. military member from Morris County was convicted of sexually assaulting a Passaic County pre-teen while working as a Lyft driver. Julio Mejia, 43, of Wharton rejected a plea deal after investigators said the underage Prospect Park girl told them he had sex with her after she took a Lyft ride in August 2019 and then again after several weeks of texting. He took his chances with a jury in Superior Court in Paterson and was convicted of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, enticing and child endangerment. Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli scheduled sentencing for Feb. …
These NJ Schools Have Early Dismissals, Indoor Recess Due To Wildfire Smoke These NJ Schools Have Early Dismissals, Indoor Recess Due To Wildfire Smoke
These NJ Schools Have Early Dismissals, Indoor Recess Due To Wildfire Smoke Some New Jersey schools were dismissing students early or keeping students inside due to smoke conditions Wednesday, June 7. Wayne, Mount Olive, High Point and Prospect Park schools had an early dismissal. Students at the Samuel R. Donald School in Bloomingdale were evacuated and transferred via bus to another school. Clifton canceled outdoor recess and after-school activities. Dover canceled all outdoor activities. In Florham Park, field day was postponed to Thursday, June 15 for one school, while all schools held gym and recess indoors. This is a developing story. Check back …
Victim Of Hawthorne House Fire Airlifted To Burn Center, Investigators Summoned Victim Of Hawthorne House Fire Airlifted To Burn Center, Investigators Summoned
Victim Of Hawthorne House Fire Airlifted To Burn Center, Investigators Summoned Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding a house fire in Hawthorne on Wednesday that sent a burn victim to St. Barnabas in a medical chopper. No fewer than five people also were treated for smoke inhalation, including police officers who had to break a window to get into the apparently barricaded home on Sunrise Drive off Goffle Hill Road shortly after 1:30 p.m. May 24, a source with direct knowledge of the incident said. The State Police helicopter took the female victim to the medical center in Livingston after landing on the baseball field at Hawthorne High School, w…
North Jersey Pols Demand Apology From White House After NJ Mayor Turned Away During Ramadan North Jersey Pols Demand Apology From White House After NJ Mayor Turned Away During Ramadan
North Jersey Pols Demand Apology From White House After NJ Mayor Turned Away During Ramadan A consortium of mayors throughout North Jersey are demanding an apology from the White House to Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah after he was denied entry for a celebration marking the end of Ramadan. Khairullah, who was recently sworn in for his fifth term as mayor, was told by Secret Service Monday, May 1 that he had not been cleared for entry.  Khairullah received the news just hours before he was set to arrive. Khairullah was also recently interrogated for three hours at John F. Kennedy International Airport. "As mayors who value transparency and the U.S. legal sys…
One Home Ravaged, Another Severely Damaged By Unforgiving Paterson Fire One Home Ravaged, Another Severely Damaged By Unforgiving Paterson Fire
One Home Ravaged, Another Severely Damaged By Unforgiving Paterson Fire Two firefighters were injured and at least two residents required medical attention from a fast-moving blaze Tuesday afternoon that ravaged one Paterson home and severely damaged another. Responders had assistance from neighbors who helped get some of the residents to safety after the fire ignited on the second floor of one of several wood-frame, multi-family homes on Knickerbocker Avenue around 1 p.m. May 16. Flames spread to a neighboring home, but firefighters limited the damage.  The three-alarmer was declared under control around 4:45 p.m. A bulldozer and other heavy equipment was br…
'Islamophobia': NJ Muslim Mayor Barred From White House 'Islamophobia': NJ Muslim Mayor Barred From White House
'Islamophobia': NJ Muslim Mayor Barred From White House Outrage spread through New Jersey's Muslim communities after one town's Muslim mayor was banned from attending an Eid-al-Fitr ceremony this week at the White House. Mohahmed Khairullah, who was recently sworn in for his fifth term as Prospect Park's mayor was told by Secret Service Monday, May 1 that he had not been cleared for entry. Khairullah received the news just hours before he was set to arrive. He said the move "reeks of Islamophobia." The Council on American-Islamic Relations New Jersey's chapter called it "unacceptable and insulting," and demanded an apology from the White H…
UPDATE: Victim In Passaic County Shooting ID'd As Middlesex Woman, 23 UPDATE: Victim In Passaic County Shooting ID'd As Middlesex Woman, 23
Update: Victim In Passaic County Shooting ID'd As Middlesex Woman, 23 Authorities on Tuesday identified a victim shot in Prospect Park more than 36 hours earlier as a 23-year-old Middlesex County woman. The Fords victim was shot shortly before 3 a.m. Monday, April 10, at North 9th Street and Haledon Avenue, near the Paterson border, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Prospect Park Police Chief Ammen Matari confirmed early Tuesday evening. She was dropped off at St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center in Wayne a short time after the shooting, and township police were notified.  The vehicle she arrived in was also secured as part of an investigati…
UPDATE: Victim In Prospect Park Shooting ID'd As Middlesex County Woman UPDATE: Victim In Prospect Park Shooting ID'd As Middlesex County Woman
Update: Victim In Prospect Park Shooting ID'd As Middlesex County Woman Authorities on Tuesday identified a victim shot in Prospect Park more than 36 hours earlier as a 23-year-old Middlesex County woman. The Fords victim was shot shortly before 3 a.m. Monday, April 10, at North 9th Street and Haledon Avenue, near the Paterson border, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Prospect Park Police Chief Ammen Matari confirmed early Tuesday evening. She was dropped off at St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center in Wayne a short time after the shooting, and township police were notified. The vehicle she arrived in was also secured as part of an investigation in …
Prospect Park PBA Issues No-Confidence Vote As Mayor, Council Seek Civilian Police Director Prospect Park PBA Issues No-Confidence Vote As Mayor, Council Seek Civilian Police Director
Prospect Park PBA Issues No-Confidence Vote As Mayor, Council Seek Civilian Police Director There are many reasons why you can easily count the number of police directors in New Jersey’s 564 municipalities. These are many of the same reasons that Prospect Park’s police union has declared a vote of no-confidence in the borough’s mayor, as well as its council majority, who are about to place a civilian in charge of their police department. Police and public safety directors often work well in cities – take Paterson, for instance, which has nearly 160,000 residents, or Newark, which has more than 300,000 residents and nearly 1,300 police officers. Directors in the cities are ordinar…
Gas-Fed Fire Ravages North Haledon Home Gas-Fed Fire Ravages North Haledon Home
Gas-Fed Fire Ravages North Haledon Home No injuries were reported in a heavy house fire in North Haledon. Fed by gas from a stove, the noontime blaze on Monday, Jan. 16, ravaged the two-story, wood-frame home across from the Salesian Sisters' Mary Help of Christians Academy on Belmont Avenue. PSE&G was called on a rush to cut the feed. Mutual aid firefighters included companies from Franklin Lakes, Haledon, Hawthorne, Midland Park, Paterson, Prospect Park and Wyckoff. The gas-fed fire ravaged the Belmont Avenue home in North Haledon.FRANKLIN LAKES FD
New Year's Fire Consumes Multi-Family Paterson Building New Year's Fire Consumes Multi-Family Paterson Building
New Year's Fire Consumes Multi-Family Paterson Building A vicious New Year's fire blew through the roof of a Paterson apartment building. A firefighter was brought to St. Joseph's University Medical Center with a minor injury sustained in Sunday's 10 a.m. blaze on Harrison Street. The damage was nonetheless extensive, displacing dozens of residents -- while forcing others out temporarily -- in a tightly packed cluster of homes between Rosa Parks Boulevard and Carroll Street. 🚨 BREAKING VIDEO: LARGE FIRE IN PATERSON, NEW JERSEY pic.twitter.com/cPLVj36OvO — Breaking News Video (@BreakingVideoHQ) January 1, 2023 A second alarm was called on a…
Frequent Offender Nabbed Fleeing Fair Lawn Restaurant Break-In: Authorities Frequent Offender Nabbed Fleeing Fair Lawn Restaurant Break-In: Authorities
Frequent Offender Nabbed Fleeing Fair Lawn Restaurant Break-In: Authorities A repeat offender with a proverbial arm's-length rap sheet was captured by Fair Lawn police after he broke into a local restaurant, authorities said. Then they had to let him go. Manuel Cravero, 34, of Prospect Park was seen on surveillance cameras inside the Crafstman, a gastropub on Maple Avenue, after hours, Sgt. Brian Metzler said. He fled out a side door of the closed business but was nabbed by borough police a short distance away, the sergeant said. Cravero is someone who’s commonly referred to as “known to police.” He has a criminal record stretching back more than a decade, wi…
SUV Collides With Sedan, Slams Into Restaurant At Bergen-Passaic Border SUV Collides With Sedan, Slams Into Restaurant At Bergen-Passaic Border
SUV Collides With Sedan, Slams Into Restaurant At Bergen-Passaic Border Three people were hospitalized after a collision shortly before daybreak sent an SUV crashing into the window of a restaurant at the Bergen-Passaic border. The collision occurred at the corner of Lincoln and Loretto avenues when a 2010 Nissan driven by a 57-year-old Oak Ridge man knocked a 2007 Honda CR-V into the corner eatery known as First on the Hawthorne side of the street across from Fair Lawn shortly before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19. The other vehicle, a 2010 Nissan, was so badly damaged that a huge chunk of its nose fell off. The Honda driver, 54, of Paterson and passenger, 31,…
UPDATE: Firefighter Burned In Haledon Blaze UPDATE: Firefighter Burned In Haledon Blaze
Update: Firefighter Burned In Haledon Blaze A firefighter was hospitalized with minor leg burns during a blaze that ravaged a multi-family Haledon home, authorities said. Another firefighter was evaluated for exhaustion and released at the scene of the three-alarm blaze at the corner of Henry and Legion streets. Firefighters found heavy flames on the second floor of the 2½-story, wood-frame building shortly before 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3. Haledon firefighters found heavy flames on the second floor of the 2½-story, wood-frame building at the corner of Henry and Legion streets shortly before 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3.HALEDON FD Th…
Man Killed, Woman Critical In Shooting At Border Of Paterson, Prospect Park Man Killed, Woman Critical In Shooting At Border Of Paterson, Prospect Park
Man Killed, Woman Critical In Shooting At Border Of Paterson, Prospect Park A 45-year-old man was killed and a 28-year-old woman critically wounded in an overnight shooting at the border of Paterson and Prospect Park, authorities confirmed. Police responding to the shooting found both victims on the Paterson side of Belle Avenue off Hopper Street shortly before 2 a.m., Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro said in a joint announcement. Both were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, where the man was pronounced dead, they said. Detectives from Valdes’s office and Ribeiro’s department were jointly inves…
Fire Destroys One Prospect Park Home, Ravages Another Fire Destroys One Prospect Park Home, Ravages Another
Fire Destroys One Prospect Park Home, Ravages Another Firefighters from surrounding towns rushed to aid their colleagues in Prospect Park after a noontime house fire spread to a neighboring home. Initial reports of an occupant possibly trapped thankfully proved unfounded after the fire broke out on the second floor of the primary North 11 Street home, off Fairview Avenue, around 11:30 a.m. Council President Anand Shah called for prayers for those who lost their homes and belongings in the destructive blaze, which topped out at five alarms for coverage. Mayor Mohamed T. Khairullah praised the first responders who braved not only the fire itse…
Passaic County Man Threatens To Kill Police Captain With Traffic Stop Ambush: Authorities Passaic County Man Threatens To Kill Police Captain With Traffic Stop Ambush: Authorities
Passaic County Man Threatens To Kill Police Captain With Traffic Stop Ambush: Authorities A Passaic County man was charged with threatening to lure a local police captain into a traffic stop so he could shoot him and chop his head off, authorities said. Jante Bagh, 41, called the Prospect Park Police Department on Tuesday and said he would lure the captain into a stop, “pop one in his head” and then cut it off, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Bagh, who lives in Prospect Park, was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats and harassment. He remained held Thursday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Cour…
Handcuffed Fugitive Who Jumped Into Passaic River Was Wanted Out Of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Handcuffed Fugitive Who Jumped Into Passaic River Was Wanted Out Of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts
Handcuffed Fugitive Who Jumped Into Passaic River Was Wanted Out Of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts A suspect who nearly drowned after jumping into the Passaic River while handcuffed was wanted in both Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, authorities said. Juan Castano, 29, of New York was a passenger in a car driven by a Paterson resident that Hawthorne police stopped in response to a call late Tuesday afternoon of two suspicious-looking men peering over the barbed wire fence of the Citywide Towing impound lot in Hawthorne. “People have previously jumped their fence and stolen vehicles that had been impounded due to being stolen,” Hawthorne Detective Lt. Matthew Hoogmoed said Thursday. Borou…
Good Guys, Bad Guy Go For A Swim: Escaped Prisoner Pulled From Passaic River Good Guys, Bad Guy Go For A Swim: Escaped Prisoner Pulled From Passaic River
Good Guys, Bad Guy Go For A Swim: Escaped Prisoner Pulled From Passaic River GOTCHA! A suspect who nearly drowned after he jumped into the Passaic River while handcuffed was wanted in both Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, authorities said. Juan Castano, 29, of New York was a passenger in a car driven by a Paterson resident that Hawthorne police stopped in response to a call late Tuesday afternoon of two suspicious-looking men peering over the barbed wire fence of the Citywide Towing impound lot in Hawthorne. “People have previously jumped their fence and stolen vehicles that had been impounded due to being stolen,” Hawthorne Detective Lt. Matthew Hoogmoed said Thurs…
GOTCHA! Off-Duty Elmwood Park Firefighter Helps Nab Fugitive Following Passaic River Pursuit GOTCHA! Off-Duty Elmwood Park Firefighter Helps Nab Fugitive Following Passaic River Pursuit
Gotcha! Off-Duty Elmwood Park Firefighter Helps Nab Fugitive Following Passaic River Pursuit A Paterson fugitive briefly eluded a police dragnet but was captured after he tried bumming a ride from what turned out to be an off-duty Elmwood Park firefighter, authorities said. Paterson police armed with a warrant were pursuing Stanley Edwards, 30, when he bailed out of a vehicle that had just crashed into a parked car on Sterling Place shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday, Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno said. He then ran down an embankment on River Drive and under the Broadway (Route 4) bridge over the Passaic River, responders said. Fair Lawn police, Bergen County sheriff's off…
Judge Refuses To Release Newark Defendant Charged With Shooting Jersey Shore Man In Paterson Judge Refuses To Release Newark Defendant Charged With Shooting Jersey Shore Man In Paterson
Judge Refuses To Release Newark Defendant Charged With Shooting Jersey Shore Man In Paterson A state judge refused to release a defendant from Newark who was captured in New York City and charged with shooting a Jersey Shore man following a robbery in Paterson. The 27-year-old Sea Bright victim was shot near the corner of Putnam Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard on Jan. 8, 2021. He sought treatment at Riverside Medical Center in Red Bank without telling city police, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora said in a joint release. Red Bank police who were alerted to the shooting immediately notified their Paterson colleagues, they said.&n…