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Air Quality Worsens As Wildfire Smoke Wafts Over North Jersey
Smoke from the Jennings Creek Wildfire was wafting over portions of North Jersey, causing a rapid decline in air quality Friday, Nov. 15.
The Jennings Creek Wildfire, which has scorched 2,283 acres across Passaic County, NJ, and Orange County, NY, was 90% contained Friday, Nov. 15, a week after it broke out, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Residents in Bergen County, from Oakland to Fort Lee, reported smoke drifting from the wildfire (is smoke in your town? see the Daily Voice Instagram story to report where you live).
A smoke map from AirNow.Gov shows the Air Q…
Reassuring Dispatcher Erik Midgley, Of Palisades Park, 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…
Mugshots Released: Fort Lee SWAT Raid Uncovers 28K Fentanyl Pills, Meth, Ghost Guns
A major drug bust in Bergen County led to the seizure of tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills, along with cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and untraceable firearms, authorities said in announcing the arrests of the three men behind it.
Ramon Morillo, 39, of Fort Lee; Brandon Morillo, 31, of Lodi; and Joseph Diaz, 34, of Fort Lee, were arrested on Thursday, Nov. 7, following a months-long investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
The investigation began in July 2024, when detectives identified Mo…
Brush Fire Ravages 19 Acres On Palisades: Firefighters Battle Blaze Amid Statewide Restrictions
Firefighters are battling a 19-acre brush fire that erupted Thursday night, Nov. 7, on the cliffs of the Palisades Interstate Park.
Visible from across the Hudson River, the blaze has turned the scenic cliffs into an intense battle zone, with flames licking at the steep, rocky terrain and sending plumes of smoke billowing into the evening sky.
The fire, fueled by dry brush and challenging cliffside conditions, remains only 30% contained as of Friday morning, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. Crews from Fort Lee, Englewood, Ridgefield, Leonia, Edgewater, and more have jo…
Paterson Car Thief Bails On Fort Lee Friend After Pursuit-Crash In Pompton Lakes: Police
Two car thieves were in custody after the driver led a pursuit and crashed, leaving his pal at the scene in Morris County this week, police said.
On Wednesday, Sept. 4 around 1:45 a.m., Pompton Lakes Patrolman Collins was on duty when he spotted a 2023 Toyota Corolla that had been reported stolen the night before, police said in a news release.
The vehicle was occupied by two individuals later identified as Dakota Cirelli, 24, of Paterson and Dilayda Aksoy, 22, of Fort Lee, and fled toward Watervliet and Albany avenues when they noticed police were after them.
The vehicle cr…
Thief Launches Stolen Volvo Into Hudson River At Englewood Boat Basin During Pursuit: Cops
He didn't get very far.
A 26-year-old man who stole a white 2012 Volvo was arrested after he lost control of the vehicle, sending it into the Hudson River during a police pursuit Monday night, July 1, Edgewater Police Chief Donald A. Martin said in a release.
The man, later identified as Jean D. Severe, of Brooklyn, NY, jumped behind the wheel of the Volvo at Veteran's Field at 1167 River Road just before 9:10 p.m., Martin said.
Moments later, an officer spotted the car near the Fort Lee border. The officer tried to stop the vehicle, but Severe failed to pull over, initiati…
Bicyclist, 47, Dies After Being Struck On Route 9W
Jake Kim, a 47-year-old Englewood resident was killed after his bicycle was truck by a vehicle on Wednesday morning, June 19, according to a fundraiser created to assist his family.
As of Thursday, June 27, more than $12,000 has been raised.
"The famous 9W leaving from Fort Lee, will no longer feel the same without him," Jang won Woo, who organized the fundraiser said."
Kim was struck by a Mercedes Sprinter Van at 9:50 a.m. at the intersection of Palisade Avenue and Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs police said.
Kim was transported to Englewood Hospital and Medical Cen…
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…
Cops ID Fair Lawn Man, 26, As Culprit Behind Bogus Bomb Threats To Fort Lee PD
A 26-year-old Fair Lawn man is facing charges for calling and emailing false threats to law enforcement agencies across Bergen County, authorities announced
Clyde Johnson has been charged with false public alarm in the series of anonymous calls and emails to Franklin Lakes, Paramus, Wyckoff, Maywood, Fair Lawn, Fort Lee, and Bergenfield police departments, as well as local businesses, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
Each time, Johnson reported "an individual armed with a deadly weapon or explosive" Musella said.
An investigation helmed by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Off…
Kidnappers Who Demanded $680,000 Ransom For Fort Lee Man Get Up To 18 Years Without Release
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Four men who kidnapped a Fort Lee man from his home and held him for a $680,000 ransom must serve from 12 to 18 years in federal prison before they'll be eligible for release.
The harshest plea-bargained sentence went to Albert Ferrelli, 52, of Queens, who must serve nearly 18 years of a 250-month prison sentence before he'll be eligible for release, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Next was fellow Queens resident Chiahao Lee, 32, who must serve nearly 13 years of a 180-month stretch, the U.S. attorney said.
They're followed by Gabriel Anthony, also of Queens, Sellinger…
Bergen-Based Gang Members Charged In DEA Takedown: Feds
A trio of Trinitarios street gang members who shared an apartment in Fort Lee slung fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin on both sides of the Hudson River before being busted last week, federal authorities charged.
Ernesto Adon Martinez, 38, Luis Arismedy Gomez Torres, 28, and Deury Luis Gomez Torres, 25, drove back and forth "on a near-daily basis" between Fort Lee and an apartment just off Dyckman Street in the Fort George section of Manhattan where drugs were packaged and stashed, they said.The Trinitarios emerged in New York City in the 1990s as protection against rival gangs such as th…
George Iino, Fort Lee Baseball Coach, Dies At 55: 'Beacon Of Love'
George Iino, a Fort Lee resident who coached baseball in the community, died on Wednesday, March 27, according to a fundraiser set up to support his family.
A native of Illinois, Iino moved to New Jersey as a teenager, graduating from Mount Olive High School, his obituary reads. A graduate of Rutgers University, he had numerous passions including skiing, martial arts, DJing, tennis and was a competitive bodybuilder, according to his obituary.
Iino pursued a career in international business and trade, which saw him circle the globe, traveling to places like Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris,…
