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Police & Fire
Professor Sexually Assaults Bergen Community College Student: Sheriff Professor Sexually Assaults Bergen Community College Student: Sheriff
Professor Sexually Assaults Bergen Community College Student: Sheriff A Bergen Community College professor is being investigated on accusations he sexually assaulted a student, authorities said. On Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, a BCC student reported to both BCC Public Safety and the Bergen County Sheriff's Office that she had been sexually assaulted earlier that day by Zameer Baksh, Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton said. The victim said she was kissed on the cheek and the professor made inappropriate comments. The defendant continued his assault by forcefully grabbing and touching her genitalia area, Cureton said. The defendant was charged with Criminal S…

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by Cecilia Levine
Sports
Second Chance, First Class: Ravens Fans Get VIP Treatment At Metlife Following Big Lottery Win Second Chance, First Class: Ravens Fans Get VIP Treatment At Metlife Following Big Lottery Win
Second Chance, First Class: Ravens Fans Get VIP Treatment At Metlife Following Big Lottery Win Some Baltimore Ravens fans were given the second chance of a lifetime courtesy of a Maryland Lottery promotion that gave them a taste of the good life. The lucky winners - Raymond and Debbie Jones from Salisbury, Lenny and Darlene Brown from Woodstock, and Juan Garcia and his daughter Melanie from Riverdale - traveled with the team to the Big Apple to take on the New York Giants over the weekend, where they were treated to lavish hotel accommodations, got to meet some players, and were given $1,000 to splurge in the city. Oh, and the Ravens won the game easily to climb to 9-5 as they c…

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by Zak Failla
News
'She Was Sent To Me:' Nutley Woman Adopts Dog Struck On Route 4 After Losing Her Own 'She Was Sent To Me:' Nutley Woman Adopts Dog Struck On Route 4 After Losing Her Own
'She Was Sent To Me:' Nutley Woman Adopts Dog Struck On Route 4 After Losing Her Own Natalie D’Angelo believes her beloved dog Zoey, who passed away in March, played a role in bringing Stella into her life.  On Friday, Dec. 20, the 41-year-old Nutley resident adopted Stella, the dog who had survived being struck by a car on Route 4 in Hackensack, from the Bergen County Animal Shelter in Teterboro. “I just lost my dog in March—she was a half dachshund—and because of that, I felt like maybe Stella was being sent to me from her,” D’Angelo said with Stella in her lap on the floor of the shelter. “I feel like I have the love of my other dog back.” View …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Grand Jury Declines To File Charges After Death At Paterson Police Headquarters: AG Grand Jury Declines To File Charges After Death At Paterson Police Headquarters: AG
Grand Jury Declines To File Charges After Death At Paterson Police Headquarters: AG A grand jury has declined to indict anyone after a 57-year-old Paterson woman died in 2022 while in custody at the Paterson Police Department, authorities said. Rosita Diaz was arrested Thursday, February 17, 2022, for alleged possession of narcotics, the State Attorney General's Office said. Between Feb. 17 and Feb. 18, she was taken to a hospital several times for either medical issues or medical/psychological clearance for incarceration, authorities said. After her last discharge from the hospital, and while awaiting transportation to the jail, she was found unresponsive in a Paterson Po…

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by Sam Barron
Business
Bergen County-Based Party City Going Out Of Business, Closing All 800 Stores Bergen County-Based Party City Going Out Of Business, Closing All 800 Stores
Bergen County-Based Party City Going Out Of Business, Closing All 800 Stores The party is over for a popular chain store that's been in business for decades. Party City is “winding down” operations immediately at its approximately 800 locations, CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees  in a video call on Friday, Dec. 20, CNN reports. Workers were told they will not receive severance pay, and that their benefits would end as the company goes out of business, CNN says. The company, headquartered in in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, is running low on cash and unable to pay rent in some locations, according to an earlier Bloomberg report. Party City was foun…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
New Details In Deadly Pursuit-Crash Involving 20-Year-Old Driver, New Jersey AG Releases New Details In Deadly Pursuit-Crash Involving 20-Year-Old Driver, New Jersey AG Releases
New Details In Deadly Pursuit-Crash Involving 20-Year-Old Driver, New Jersey AG Releases New details have been released in an October pursuit crash that killed a 20-year-old Virginia man in New Jersey, officials said. Scott Segreaves was operating a vehicle on Water Street in Milford Borough when New Jersey State Police Staff Sergeant Nicholas Pryszlak attempted to catch up to his car in connection with a speeding violation on Oct. 28, the State Attorney General's Office said this week. Both vehicles made left turns on Stamets Road in Holland Township and Sgt. Pryszlak activated his lights and sirens, authorities said. Segreaves continued to drive his vehicle, authorities …

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Thieves Strip Wheels, Tires Off Teslas At Paramus Dealership Thieves Strip Wheels, Tires Off Teslas At Paramus Dealership
Thieves Strip Wheels, Tires Off Teslas At Paramus Dealership Thieves struck overnight in Paramus, making off with the wheels and tires from two Tesla sedans parked in a dealership’s overflow lot, Boyd A. Loving reports. Photo(s) of the day, 12/20/2024: Thieves were busy at work overnight in Paramus, where two (2) Tesla sedans were... Posted by Boyd A. Loving on Friday, December 20, 2024 The vehicles, located at the Fashion Center on East Ridgewood Avenue, were discovered resting on cinder blocks by a dealership employee on the morning of Friday, Dec. 20, Loving said.  The Paramus Police Department was notified, and a uniforme…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
These 18 NJ Big Lots Stores Are Among Nearly 1,000 Closing Nationwide: Here's When These 18 NJ Big Lots Stores Are Among Nearly 1,000 Closing Nationwide: Here's When
These 18 NJ Big Lots Stores Are Among Nearly 1,000 Closing Nationwide: Here's When Big Lots, the popular discount retailer, is officially going out of business.  The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, has announced plans to close all 963 of its remaining stores nationwide, including 18 locations in New Jersey. The last day of business is expected to be in mid-February, according to sources familiar with the closures. While official store closing sales have not yet begun, all Christmas items are currently 50% off, offering shoppers a chance to stock up before the doors shut for good. The closures mark the end of an era for the budget-friendl…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
20 Years In Prison For German Man Who Traveled To NJ For Sex With Kids: Feds 20 Years In Prison For German Man Who Traveled To NJ For Sex With Kids: Feds
20 Years In Prison For German Man Who Traveled To NJ For Sex With Kids: Feds A 40-year-old German man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, Dec. 18 after admitting he traveled to New Jersey to have sex with a minor, authorities said. In January 2023, undercover officers began chatting with Christian Stefan Walther abut his desire to have sex with young children, US Attorney Philip Sellinger said.  Walther sent an undercover officer two videos, each of which depicted an adult male engaging in sexual conduct with a prepubescent aged female child, Sellinger said. Walther also expressed his desire to engage in sexual conduct with children aged…

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by Sam Barron
Business
Drugstore Deserts On Rise Amid Nationwide Pharmacy Closures Drugstore Deserts On Rise Amid Nationwide Pharmacy Closures
Drugstore Deserts On Rise Amid Nationwide Pharmacy Closures Nearly 30 percent of US pharmacies closed between 2010 and 2021, according to a new study in the health-policy publication Health Affairs. The research, led by University of California Berkeley assistant professor Jenny S. Guadamuz and colleagues, analyzed data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, county health statistics, and ZIP Code demographic surveys.  Of the 88,930 retail pharmacies operating in 2010, almost one-third shuttered by 2021, with those in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods disproportionately affected, Independent pharmacies were hit ha…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban
Ex-Paterson Mayor Avoids Jailtime In Admitting To Violating Public Office Ban Former Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres pleaded guilty to criminal contempt for defying a 2017 court order permanently barring him from running for or holding public office, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced. Torres, 66, admitted during a hearing on Thursday, Dec. 19, in Passaic County Superior Court that his 2022 bid to reclaim the mayor’s seat violated the judicial order. The plea, to a fourth-degree criminal contempt charge, followed an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA)’s Corruption Bureau. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the St…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Cats Soaked In Urine Abandoned In Paterson Parking Lot, Rescuers Say Cats Soaked In Urine Abandoned In Paterson Parking Lot, Rescuers Say
Cats Soaked In Urine Abandoned In Paterson Parking Lot, Rescuers Say Two cats were rescued in Paterson after being abandoned in a parking lot during near-freezing temperatures, left in a filthy carrier soaked in urine and rainwater, rescuers say. According to the Oakland-based Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge (RBARI), the animals, named Sid and Tony, are now receiving emergency medical care after enduring severe neglect and exposure. RBARI said the cats were found traumatized and sick from the conditions they were subjected to.  “Sid and Tony urgently need your help,” the organization said in a statement, highlighting the critical care the cats require to r…

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by Cecilia Levine