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Police & Fire
Clifton Police Nab Drivers In Separate Vehicle Thefts Out Of Nutley, Paterson Clifton Police Nab Drivers In Separate Vehicle Thefts Out Of Nutley, Paterson
Clifton Police Nab Drivers In Separate Vehicle Thefts Out Of Nutley, Paterson Clifton police nabbed two men driving stolen cars -- one out of Nutley and the other from Paterson -- less than 14 hours apart, authorities said Tuesday. An officer tried stopping a large passenger van traveling north on Van Houten Avenue with its lights off shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday when the vehicle took off, Detective Sgt. Robert Anderson said. The driver continued several blocks, eventually turning onto southbound Van Houten Avenue and into Passaic, before stopping on Broadway near Grove Street, he said. The driver, identified as 20-year-old Angel Lucero of Passaic, surrendered and …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
High-Speed Overnight Stolen-Vehicle Chases Continue Through Bergen, Passaic, Essex High-Speed Overnight Stolen-Vehicle Chases Continue Through Bergen, Passaic, Essex
High-Speed Overnight Stolen-Vehicle Chases Continue Through Bergen, Passaic, Essex Police overnight Wednesday chased a sedan reportedly stolen out of Allendale to Newark at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour, in yet another in a series of pre-dawn pursuits throughout North Jersey. Part of the chase went along eastbound Route 46 in Totowa to southbound Route 21 in Clifton around 2:30 a.m. The pursuers lost the black Audi on 13th Avenue near South Orange Avenue in Newark moments later. Vehicles continue to be stolen at an alarming -- and, for police, frustrating -- rate in North Jersey, authorities say. Nearly all of their owners left the vehicles unlocked with the key…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SEE ANYTHING? Shots Fired From One Car At Another On Route 46 In Clifton, Witnesses Sought SEE ANYTHING? Shots Fired From One Car At Another On Route 46 In Clifton, Witnesses Sought
SEE Anything? Shots Fired From One Car At Another On Route 46 In Clifton, Witnesses Sought Several shots were fired from one car at another on Route 46 in Clifton, said authorities who sought the public’s help Wednesday identifying the vehicle. The shooter unloaded sometime between noon and 2 p.m. Monday in the westbound stretch between Routes 20 and 21, authorities said. No injuries were reported, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Clifton Police Chief Mark Centurione said in a joint release. They asked that anyone who saw something or has information that could help investigators use the prosecutor’s tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or call …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Woman Plunges To Death From Passaic Overpass, Police Say Woman Plunges To Death From Passaic Overpass, Police Say
Woman Plunges To Death From Passaic Overpass, Police Say An unidentified woman jumped to her death off of the Route 21 overpass in Passaic Friday morning, authorities said. The woman was pronounced dead at 11:41 a.m., at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, Passaic Deputy Chief Christopher Storzillo said. Police believe that the woman is hispanic and between 25 and 30 years old, the deputy chief said.

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
SEEN IT? Victim Succumbs To Injuries After July Hit-Run In Passaic, SUV Sought SEEN IT? Victim Succumbs To Injuries After July Hit-Run In Passaic, SUV Sought
Seen IT? Victim Succumbs To Injuries After July Hit-Run In Passaic, SUV Sought The SUV driver who fled the scene in July after hitting a 33-year-old pedestrian in Passaic in July is facing more severe charges now that the victim has died, said authorities who released surveillance images of the vehicle. Christina Garcia died at St. Joseph's Medical Center on Sunday, 70 days after she was struck near the corner intersection of First and Hudson Streets just before 3 a.m. July 22, authorities said. The mid-sized, light-colored SUV, which fled onto northbound Route 21 after hitting Garcia, is believed to be a Ford Explorer from 2011 or newer, Passaic County Prosecutor …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Clifton Police Chase Bentley Stolen From Garfield Gas Station, Nab Driver After Newark Crash Clifton Police Chase Bentley Stolen From Garfield Gas Station, Nab Driver After Newark Crash
Clifton Police Chase Bentley Stolen From Garfield Gas Station, Nab Driver After Newark Crash A Clifton police chase that began after a thief stole an unoccupied Bentley convertible while it was being gassed up in Garfield ended soon after it crashed in Newark, authorities said. Officers Zakaria Bernardo and Matthew Fernandes were on patrol on Route 3 near Route 21 just after 3:30 p.m. Monday when they heard an alert that the car was stolen from a Wawa on Jewell Street – and that the nozzle from the gas pump might still be attached, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. Moments later, they spotted the Bentley speeding down southbound Route 21, he said The officers tried to get the dri…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Final Facebook Post Of Passaic Woman Killed In Crash Will Break Your Heart Final Facebook Post Of Passaic Woman Killed In Crash Will Break Your Heart
Final Facebook Post Of Passaic Woman Killed In Crash Will Break Your Heart "Smile because life is giving me reasons to spare 💕🙏🏻." That was Elizabeth Berdejo's final public Facebook post along with a photo of her smiling before her life tragically ended in a car accident on Saturday. More than $3,400 had been raised for her funeral service on a GoFundMe as of Tuesday afternoon. Authorities this weekend said they were trying to determine why the Nissan Altima driven by 29-year-old Berdejo slammed into a guardrail at the westbound intersection of westbound Route 3 with Route 21 in Clifton, killing her. Friends and family remembered Berdejo as a happy per…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Authorities Probe Route 3 Clifton Crash That Killed Passaic Woman, 29 Authorities Probe Route 3 Clifton Crash That Killed Passaic Woman, 29
Authorities Probe Route 3 Clifton Crash That Killed Passaic Woman, 29 Authorities said they were still trying to determine why a Nissan Altima driven by a Passaic woman slammed into a guardrail at the westbound intersection of westbound Route 3 with Route 21 in Clifton, killing her. Elizabeth Berdejo, 29, was pronounced dead shortly after the 4:35 p.m. crash Saturday, authorities said, adding that she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes asked that anyone who saw the crash or has information that could help the investigation contact the prosecutor’s tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact the Clifto…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Clifton Officer Finds Wanted Pennsylvania Man In Stolen Gun Case Clifton Officer Finds Wanted Pennsylvania Man In Stolen Gun Case
Clifton Officer Finds Wanted Pennsylvania Man In Stolen Gun Case CLIFTON, N.J. -- A Clifton police officer making a traffic stop found a wanted man from Pennsylvania who'd ducked authorities for nearly five months. Gerard Manzueta-Abreu, 25, of Tobyhama, PA had tossed a handgun after bailing out of a car and fleeing through the streets of Passaic before dawn on Aug. 30, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken. He'd remained in the wind until Officer Christopher O'Brien stopped a car that Manzueta-Abreu was driving Tuesday night on Route 21 near Ackerman Avenue, he said. Manzueta-Abreu was arrested without incident and charged with weapons and drug offenses in conn…

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by Jerry DeMarco