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1,600 Bergen County Residents Without Power After Stormy Night 1,600 Bergen County Residents Without Power After Stormy Night
1,600 Bergen County Residents Without Power After Stormy Night Thousands of New Jersey residents remain without power following thunderstorms that swept through the region Wednesday, June 26. As of Thursday morning, June 27, JCP&L was reporting 54,000 outages across North Jersey. The most widespread were reported in: More than 1,800 in Ringwood; several hundred. in Wayne; Nearly 3,000 in Boonton Township; 660 in Mine Hill; 1,200 in Mount Arlington; nearly 700 in Vernon; 700 in Stockholm; 1,400 in Great Meadows; 880 in Buttzville. PSE&G was reporting just over 5,000 residents without power, most in Bergen County (1,600 with 223 in Fort Lee, 243…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Wanted Offender Nabbed By Off-Duty Hasbrouck Heights Detective, On-Duty Officer Wanted Offender Nabbed By Off-Duty Hasbrouck Heights Detective, On-Duty Officer
Wanted Offender Nabbed By Off-Duty Hasbrouck Heights Detective, On-Duty Officer A detective and police officer from Hasbrouck Heights teamed up to nab a wanted longtime repeat offender from Garfield. Detective Nicholas Brunetti was off duty when he saw Michael Villamizar, 53, leave the Walgreens on Boulevard and pedal off on a bicycle, Lt. John Behr said. Villamizar was wanted for a May 3 shoplifting at the same pharmacy, the lieutenant said. The detective flagged down Officer John Mullins, who stopped Villamazir on Raymond Street. Villamazir was stuffing items into his backpack just before Collins took him into custody with help from responding Officers Joseph Oliv…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SUV Flips Over Median, Closes Route 46 (UPDATE) SUV Flips Over Median, Closes Route 46 (UPDATE)
SUV Flips Over Median, Closes Route 46 (Update) 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Thank automakers for airbags. A driver walked away OK after his vehicle hit a concrete barrier on Route 46 and flipped over the median, authorities said. The 2021 Buick Encore was headed west on the highway when it crashed near southbound Route 17 in Hasbrouck Heights shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, June 8, Police Lt. John Behr said. Moonachie police closed down the highway as Hasbrouck Heights firefighters and both ALS and BLS units converged on the scene, the lieutenant said. The 57-year-old driver from Hillside, NJ, climbed out between the airbags, then refused medical atte…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wild Street Brawl Sends Repeat Offender, Officers To Hospital: Hasbrouck Heights PD Wild Street Brawl Sends Repeat Offender, Officers To Hospital: Hasbrouck Heights PD
Wild Street Brawl Sends Repeat Offender, Officers To Hospital: Hasbrouck Heights PD A repeat offender from Toms River who was high on PCP fought violently with police who kept him from running into traffic outside a 7-Eleven in North Jersey, authorities said. The incident was another in a recent series of episodes involving Albert P. Fischetta III, 40, of Toms River, whose violent reaction sent two officers – and himself – to the hospital, they said. Fischetta had been freed after police at the Jersey Shore said he attacked an elderly man while not wearing any clothes last fall, records show. This time, his girlfriend told Hasbrouck Heights that Fischetta suddenly bailed …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Bicycle-Riding Burglar From Passaic, 30, Captured By Hasbrouck Heights Officers: PD GOTCHA! Bicycle-Riding Burglar From Passaic, 30, Captured By Hasbrouck Heights Officers: PD
Gotcha! Bicycle-Riding Burglar From Passaic, 30, Captured By Hasbrouck Heights Officers: PD A 30-year-old repeat offender from Passaic known for getting around on a bicycle tried to run but was caught by Hasbrouck Heights police who authorities said chased him down before dawn Saturday. A concerned citizen's call about a car burglar brought officers to the area of Hamilton Avenue and the Boulevard around 2 a.m., May 25, Lt. John Behr said. Hector J. Torres-Duran tried to flee Officers Joseph Armeli and Kevin Condal but crashed the bike and took off on foot in the parking lots behind Boulevard businesses, the lieutenant said. "He was eventually cornered and found hiding behind a D…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Motorcyclist Ejected In Rear-End Route 17 Crash (UPDATE) Motorcyclist Ejected In Rear-End Route 17 Crash (UPDATE)
Motorcyclist Ejected In Rear-End Route 17 Crash (Update) A 19-year-old motorcyclist from Moonachie was hospitalized after he was ejected during a rear-end crash early Tuesday with a Tesla on Route 17, authorities said. The May 7 morning rush was well underway when the motorcyclist rammed the other vehicle from behind just south of the busy Franklin Avenue intersection around 7:30 a.m. He was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with injuries that didn't appear to be life-threatening, Hasbrouck Heights Police Lt. John Behr said. A lane of traffic was able to pass, while two remained closed, as the scene was cleared and an investigation b…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SUV Rams Hasbrouck Heights Apartment Building, Driver Ticketed SUV Rams Hasbrouck Heights Apartment Building, Driver Ticketed
SUV Rams Hasbrouck Heights Apartment Building, Driver Ticketed A driver escaped serious injury Thursday morning when her SUV slammed into the side of an apartment building in Hasbrouck Heights. Tenants in at least two units at the Boulevard Apartments were temporarily displaced, however. The entire building was initially vacated after the 68-year-old driver's parked Hyundai accelerated over the curb and into the support wall shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday, May 2. There was no immediate explanation of what may have caused it, Police Lt. John Behr said. Two units had to be vacated for the time being. Tony Greco for DAILY VOICE The driver was evalua…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Exterior Fire Enters Hasbrouck Heights Home Exterior Fire Enters Hasbrouck Heights Home
Exterior Fire Enters Hasbrouck Heights Home Firefighters quickly doused a blaze that found its way inside a Hasbrouck Heights home. Flames climbed the side and extended into the basement and attic of the three-story wood-frame home on Franklin Avenue between Oak Grove Avenue and Boulevard at 9:15 p.m.  Saturday, April 27, responders said. No injuries were reported in the two-alarm blaze. The Red Cross found temporary food, clothing shelter for the occupants. Mutual aid responders included firefighters from Carlstadt, Hackensack, Little Ferry, Lodi, Moonachie, South Hackensack, Wallington and Wood-Ridge. A PSE&G c…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wanted On Warrants: Trio Nabbed With Drugs, Dog In Hasbrouck Heights Wanted On Warrants: Trio Nabbed With Drugs, Dog In Hasbrouck Heights
Wanted On Warrants: Trio Nabbed With Drugs, Dog In Hasbrouck Heights A suspicious vehicle call led Hasbrouck Heights police to a drug-carrying, canine-accompanied trio wanted on warrants, authorities said. Officers Christopher Connors and Sgt. Dom D’Amico found the Subaru sedan in a Boulevard parking lot shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21, Lt. John Behr said. Officers Paul Albanese, Michael DeSimone and John Mullins joined them along with Wood-Ridge Officers Mark Torsiello and Devin Ochiuzzo, the lieutenant said. The three occupants were all sent to the Bergen County Jail after the officers found crack, clonazepam pills and dozens of empty wax paper…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
BREAK IN, RINSE, REPEAT: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns BREAK IN, RINSE, REPEAT: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns
Break IN, Rinse, Repeat: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns It never ends with some guys. Mark C. Todd, most recently of Hasbrouck Heights, just turned 50 amid what has been a three-decade-long string of burglaries, thefts and police pursuits in nearly a dozen Bergen County towns. It got to the point that detectives from Maywood, Carlstadt and Hasbrouck Heights all went together to arrest the ex-con at his home last Friday morning, April 12. He was charged with break-ins in Maywood, Carlstadt, Elmwood Park and Fair Lawn. Tood has remained held in the Bergen County Jail this past week based on the likelihood that he’ll be returned to prison. He sp…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
'SNL' Looking For Paid Stand-In — Apparently For Bergen County Host Ramy Youssef 'SNL' Looking For Paid Stand-In — Apparently For Bergen County Host Ramy Youssef
'SNL' Looking For Paid Stand-In — Apparently For Bergen County Host Ramy Youssef If you look like Ramy Youssef, you too could be on "Saturday Night Live." "SNL" is looking for someone to serve as a stand-in for Youssef, a Hasbrouck Heights native who is hosting the show for the first time on Saturday, March 30. According to a casting notice, the show is looking for a Middle Eastern man between the ages of 18 and 40, who stands 5'9", to serve as Youssef's stand-in. Availability is required on Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30.  The gig pays $31 an hour for an estimated 12 hours of work. Youssef will be joined on SNL with musical guest Travis Scott.  To …

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by Sam Barron
Traffic
Flooding Shuts 9W In Englewood Cliffs, Other Roadways Across New Jersey Flooding Shuts 9W In Englewood Cliffs, Other Roadways Across New Jersey
Flooding Shuts 9W In Englewood Cliffs, Other Roadways Across New Jersey Flooding and heavy rain closed roads across New Jersey Saturday, March 23. According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest part of the storm may have passed. The flooding, however, has not. In Hasbrouck Heights, where Route 17 was closed, police pulled multiple drivers from their vehicles, Chief Rinke said. Members spent the past several hours rescuing over 20 trapped motorists from their vehicles in Heights and throughout Teterboro. Please avoid all flooded areas and do not attempt to drive through them. Posted by Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department on Saturday, March 23, …

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by Cecilia Levine