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Police & Fire
Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show
Accused $550,000 Mortgage Fraud Schemer From Bergen Already Had A History, Records Show Gerrmaioud Chape was no stranger to police and prosecutors in Bergen County. So it wasn’t surprising to some when county prosecutors charged him with stealing $525,000 from unwitting investors through mortgage fraud. Chape, 43, already had a petty criminal history that included arrests for speeding, shoplifting and drugs when Bogota police charged him in 2015 with pocketing $40,000 that a Colombian brother and sister saved to come to America. The money was supposed to be a down payment on a mortgage for the siblings’ new home, authorities said at the time, but Chape used it instead on pers…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Noriega Nominated For NJ Supreme Court Noriega Nominated For NJ Supreme Court
Noriega Nominated For NJ Supreme Court Michael Noriega, a Union County resident, has been nominated to be the newest justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court. Gov. Phil Murphy formally announced Noriega's nomination on Monday, May 15. Noriega, who was born in Weehawken, will be replacing Justice Barry Albin, who reached the mandatory retirement age. Noriega, who was raised in Union City and lives in Fanwood, is Murphy's fourth appointment to the bench. Noriega, 45, is a partner at Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold, and Mangan, based in Clifton, working as a defense and immigration attorney. Noriega also spent five years as…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Union City Woman Who Tried Tossing Cocaine Down Drain Also Had Fentanyl: Prosecutors Union City Woman Who Tried Tossing Cocaine Down Drain Also Had Fentanyl: Prosecutors
Union City Woman Who Tried Tossing Cocaine Down Drain Also Had Fentanyl: Prosecutors A 35-year-old Union City woman was arrested on Tuesday, April 4 and charged with numerous drug violations following an investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force. Angela Santana was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl after members of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant in her home on 25th St, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Prosecutors also arrested Juan De Los Santos, a 33-year-old Union City resident and hit him with similar charges, Suarez said. Whi…

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by Sam Barron
News
NJSP, NYPD Recover 100 Handguns, 200 Mags Stolen From North Jersey Railyard, Nab Hudson Woman NJSP, NYPD Recover 100 Handguns, 200 Mags Stolen From North Jersey Railyard, Nab Hudson Woman
Njsp, Nypd Recover 100 Handguns, 200 Mags Stolen From North Jersey Railyard, Nab Hudson Woman A North Bergen storage unit rented by a Union City woman held 100 brand-new 9mm handguns and 200 large-capacity magazines that were stolen from a railyard in Hudson County on their way from the Northeast to the Deep South, authorities said. New Jersey State Police and the NYPD, assisted by federal agents, recovered the cache and arrested Claudine Kammo, 43, who they said was planning to sell the firearms and LCMs. The shipment had been stolen during the transfer from a tractor-trailer to a railroad car headed to a Louisiana wholesaler from a gun importer in Vermont, New Jersey Attorney Gene…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Hudson County Man Admits Getting Kids, Dad To Send Homemade Porn That He Shared On Social Hudson County Man Admits Getting Kids, Dad To Send Homemade Porn That He Shared On Social
Hudson County Man Admits Getting Kids, Dad To Send Homemade Porn That He Shared On Social A Union City man admitted getting two underage victims and a pedophile dad in the Dominican Republic to send him homemade child porn that he then shared on social media, federal authorities said. Posing as a teenage boy, Ramon Zelaya, 36, used an Instagram account to persuade a minor to send him a "revealing" photo, then used that to "entice, threaten, and coerce" the victim into sending him sexually explicit videos and other images, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Zelaya also conspired with an unidentified individual in the Dominican Republic on Facebook to sexually abuse that pers…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Celebs You Probably Didn't Know Were From North Jersey Celebs You Probably Didn't Know Were From North Jersey
Celebs You Probably Didn't Know Were From North Jersey When it comes to celebrities, New Jersey boasts a roster of A-List talent to rival any state.  Some of the most iconic athletes, musicians, and TV personalities live in the Garden State, or once called it home.  Here are the famous people you probably didn't realize were from North Jersey: BERGEN: Katrina Bowden was born and raised in Wyckoff. The actress attended the now-defunct Saint Thomas More School in Midland Park, and later Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township. The actress is known for her roles in "One Life to Live" and "30 Rock." Miles Austin was born i…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
GOTCHA! Quintet Captured After Gunshots, Pursuit, Crash Along Hudson GOTCHA! Quintet Captured After Gunshots, Pursuit, Crash Along Hudson
Gotcha! Quintet Captured After Gunshots, Pursuit, Crash Along Hudson A group of out-of-towners who’d been firing gunshots along the Hudson River in Edgewater were captured after they crashed while trying to flee responding officers, authorities said. An anonymous caller alerted borough police to the gunfire along the riverfront near the Target store at the Edgewater Commons Mall shortly before 2:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17, Police Chief Donald Martin said. Responding officers spotted the getaway car – a red sedan – as it exited the mall parking lot onto River Road, the chief said. Officers Julian Delgado, Rick Hernandez, Daniel Tarabola, Dan Massuda and Muntase…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out
Feds: Hudsonite Nabbed Accepting Mail-Order Fentanyl From Mexico Pleads Out A Hudson County man admitted accepting mail-order fentanyl destined for New Jersey’s streets that shipped to his home from Mexico, federal authorities said. Miguel Polanco, 31, even watched a how-to video on how to handle the shipment, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said following a plea hearing in Newark on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Polanco became the focus of an investigation after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted the package from Mexico City on its way to his Union City apartment, Sellinger said. He had previously received a video from a conspirator “exp…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Meet Hoboken's Newest Police Officers Meet Hoboken's Newest Police Officers
Meet Hoboken's Newest Police Officers Hoboken Police Department swore in three new police officers on Thursday, Feb. 9. The new officers are: David Chicara, Keven De La Cruz and Shawn Sodora. Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla, Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante, and Police Chief Steven Aguiar participated in the swearing-in ceremony. "These new officers will be a fantastic asset to the department,” Bhalla said. “I’m honored to welcome these officers to our team,” Aguiar said. “They are among the best and brightest and I look forward to working with all three. . ." Officers Chicara, De La Cruz, and Sodora previously served as par…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Teacher Who Sexually Assaulted Teen Hudson County Students Gets Prison Time Teacher Who Sexually Assaulted Teen Hudson County Students Gets Prison Time
Teacher Who Sexually Assaulted Teen Hudson County Students Gets Prison Time A 46-year-old teacher was sentenced to time behind bars for sexually assaulted two teen students in Jersey City, authorities announced. Francisco Realpe, of Hoboken, was sentenced on Jan. 6 to concurrent four-year sentences in New Jersey state prison for two counts of sexual assault that he pleaded guilty to last June, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Realpe is subject to Megan’s Law and Parole Supervision for Life. He has forfeited his right to current and future public employment and permanent restraining orders are in place for both victims. The first victim report being sex…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Repeat Offender Grabs, Gropes Elderly Woman In Broad Daylight: Ridgefield Park PD Repeat Offender Grabs, Gropes Elderly Woman In Broad Daylight: Ridgefield Park PD
Repeat Offender Grabs, Gropes Elderly Woman In Broad Daylight: Ridgefield Park PD An elderly woman became the latest target of a repeat offender who was previously arrested – and quickly released – for groping strangers, Ridgefield Park police said. Michael Hernandez, 23, rushed the victim from behind in broad daylight as she walked on Roosevelt Avenue between Hazelton Street and Highland Place around 3 p.m. Dec. 29, Police Lt. Art Jensen said. Hernandez, who lives in the village, then “put his arm over her shoulder and across her chest while thrusting his body into her [and] making sexually-motivated comments” before fleeing, the lieutenant said. The description gave p…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Dealer Admits Role In Major Ring That Moved Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ From NYC Dealer Admits Role In Major Ring That Moved Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ From NYC
Dealer Admits Role In Major Ring That Moved Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ From NYC One of three Manhattan men accused of flooding four North Jersey counties with massive quantities of fentanyl, meth and coke admitted his role in the organization, authorities said. Juan Carlos Merced Moreno, 45, and his partners operated a fentanyl mill in Washington Heights that supplied traffickers in New Jersey with at least 25,000 pills that were distributed throughout the Garden State, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. And that wasn't all. Authorities discovered the operation during what began as an investigation into the Hudson County crew, which flooded the str…

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by Jerry DeMarco