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Police & Fire
Hawthorne Postal Carrier Charged With Stealing Mail, IDs Hawthorne Postal Carrier Charged With Stealing Mail, IDs
Hawthorne Postal Carrier Charged With Stealing Mail, IDs HAWTHORNE, N.J. – A postal carrier in Hawthorne stole mail – and with it people’s identities – authorities charged. Deane Decosta, 30, of North Brunswick was arrested while on her route by postal inspectors and township police who accused her of “stealing mail that should have been delivered to several houses on her route,” Detective Joseph DiGeronimo said. Investigators learned that Decosta, who worked out of the Hawthorne branch, “was committing further acts of identity theft on her route with several other residences in Hawthorne,” as well, he said. Decosta was charged with 15 total cou…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Teens Caught Fishing Checks From Maywood Postal Boxes Tied To Bergen Spree? Teens Caught Fishing Checks From Maywood Postal Boxes Tied To Bergen Spree?
Teens Caught Fishing Checks From Maywood Postal Boxes Tied To Bergen Spree? MAYWOOD, N.J. – Authorities were trying to determine whether two Paterson teens caught “fishing” mail from postal boxes in Maywood are connected to dozens of similar incidents in Bergen County. Officer Greg Mulawka spotted the pair on bicycles near the Maywood Post Office on West Pleasant Avenue, Police Chief David Pegg said. They were carrying several stolen checks and several other pieces of mail, the chief said. Hanging from a nearby mailbox was a string with an adhesive on the end, he said. Brando Mancebopujols, 19, was charged with a variety of counts – including identity theft, consp…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Mail Thefts Continue -- This Time Outside Englewood Post Office Bergen Mail Thefts Continue -- This Time Outside Englewood Post Office
Bergen Mail Thefts Continue -- This Time Outside Englewood Post Office ENGLEWOOD, N.J. -- A wave of Bergen-area postal box thefts continued Thursday when someone broke into two boxes outside the Englewood Post Office in broad daylight. The Engel Street mail theft occurred in the middle of the day -- apparently in under a minute. This comes after someone stole what police described as a "large amount" of mail from a trio of boxes in front of the New Milford Post Office. Federal authorities earlier this month said that as many as 40 postal boxes had been broken into in several Bergen County towns, as thieves search for cash, checks and personal inform…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
40 Postal Boxes In Bergen Tampered With, Federal Authorities Say 40 Postal Boxes In Bergen Tampered With, Federal Authorities Say
40 Postal Boxes In Bergen Tampered With, Federal Authorities Say U.S. Postal Service inspectors were investigating a wave thefts from mailboxes in Bergen County, authorities said. Anyone who believes their mailings have been compromised should contact either local police or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service: (877) 876-2455. The tampered-with boxes included one in Glen Rock at De Boer Drive and Harristown Road, borough Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. In recent years, the service has retrofitted postal boxes to thwart thieves who "fish" for mail by rigging adhesive tape or other devices into the opening and then pulling out envelopes to searc…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Maywood PD: Officer Reels In Trio Of 'Mailbox Fishers' With Stolen Checks Maywood PD: Officer Reels In Trio Of 'Mailbox Fishers' With Stolen Checks
Maywood PD: Officer Reels In Trio Of 'Mailbox Fishers' With Stolen Checks MAYWOOD, N.J. -- A Maywood police officer snagged three accused mailbox fishers who authorities said were carrying stolen checks and unopened mail before dawn outside the local post office. A getaway car was parked a block away, with more stolen mail inside -- as well as ill-gotten cash and drug paraphernalia, Police Chief David Pegg said. Officer Brian Rubio spotted the Paterson trio outside the West Pleasant Avenue post office just after 2 a.m. Tuesday and quickly discovered the stolen items, Pegg said. Arrested on theft and receiving stolen property charges, among other offenses, were L…

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by Jerry DeMarco