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Bergen County, NJ

Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money
Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching NJ Woman, 70, For Money 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Questionable DNA evidence found under the fingernails of a 70-year-old Bergen County woman bludgeoned and burned in her home may have gotten her killer a new trial, but it didn't change the outcome. For a second time, a jury in Hackensack convicted Daniel Rochat on Wednesday of all charges in the brutal September 2012 slaying of real estate agent Barbara Vernieri in her East Rutherford home. Rochat, 48, of Wood-Ridge was originally convicted in June 2017 of beating Vernieri, then pouring gasoline on her and around her home before setting it on fire to cover up the crime scene. Pros…
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private NJ School As Police Investigate 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Police were reviewing security video to determine who's responsible for a threat specifically mentioning Blacks and Hispanics that was found scrawled on a bathroom wall at Dwight-Englewood School. The K-12 school was closed on Wednesday, April 24, following the discovery earlier in the week of a message that investigators said threatens to "get even." The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office was alerted and police in Englewood are working the case, assisted by the county sheriff's forensics team, which collected evidence. "There's concern right now considering what just recently trans…
SEEN HER? Concerns Grow Following Bogus Call That Missing NJ Woman Had Died SEEN HER? Concerns Grow Following Bogus Call That Missing NJ Woman Had Died
Seen HER? Concerns Grow Following Bogus Call That Missing NJ Woman Had Died 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚: A caller's claim that a missing single mom had died hasn't been confirmed, said authorities in Englewood who've stepped up their search for her. Concerns initially were raised when Cynthia Anderson, 33, who'd recently been homeless, stopped communicating with friends, police said. They became extremely worried when none of them could find her, Lt. Fred Pulice said. "No one's been in touch with her for a while," the lieutenant said on Wednesday, April 17, nine days after Anderson was last heard from. "There's genuine concern." One of the friends got a call from a masked number tha…
NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids
NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids A 91-year-old Saddle Brook widower was jailed Friday after authorities said he exposed himself to a trio of preteens. John Urso was booked into the Bergen County Jail on April 12 following his arrest on lewdness charges hours earlier, records show. The defendant "exposed themselves to students who were playing outside at Franklin School," Saddle Brook Schools Supt. Toni Violetti wrote in a message to the community. Violetti thanked staff at the K-6 school on Caldwell Avenue "for their quick response" and township police "for their swift investigation and decisive action." Bergen Cou…
NJ Grade School Boys Accused Of Sodomizing Classmate With Sex Toy NJ Grade School Boys Accused Of Sodomizing Classmate With Sex Toy
NJ Grade School Boys Accused Of Sodomizing Classmate With Sex Toy A group of young boys from Old Tappan are accused of sodomizing another with a sex toy. According to multiple parents, the 8th graders pooled their money to buy the penis-shaped sex aid from a popular gift company. One apparently turned it on another at a local residence while at least two others helped with the horrific assault, they said. Video of the penetration and what the parents said was an equally disgusting subsequent act was apparently recorded and shared. It wasn't immediately clear what physical injuries the victim may have suffered or what medical treatment was needed.  …
FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE ROBBERIES: NJ College Freshman Charged After Hit-And-Run FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE ROBBERIES: NJ College Freshman Charged After Hit-And-Run
Facebook Marketplace Robberies: NJ College Freshman Charged After Hit-And-Run Authorities believe they've cracked a series of Facebook Marketplace robberies with the arrest of a tennis-playing college freshman who they said struck and seriously injured a Bergen County victim with his car before speeding off. Yassine G. Rahi, 18, of Bayonne created bogus Facebook accounts offering PlayStation 5 consoles for sale, arranged meetings with buyers and robbed them, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. One of the victims, a 22-year-old man, arrived at an arranged location on Avenue C in Moonachie shortly before 5 p.m. March 20, the prosecutor said. After robbing him …
AGAIN? Repeat Bergen Offender Busted Trafficking 28,000 Child Sex Images: Prosecutor AGAIN? Repeat Bergen Offender Busted Trafficking 28,000 Child Sex Images: Prosecutor
Again? Repeat Bergen Offender Busted Trafficking 28,000 Child Sex Images: Prosecutor A repeat offender from South Hackensack relapsed following his release from prison by amassing and sharing 28,000 images of child pornography, said authorities who arrested him on Thursday. Corey Barraclough, 33, was released from the Adult Diagnostic Treatment Center in Avenel last October after serving more than 5½ years behind bars. The first 17 months or so were spent in the Bergen County Jail beginning in and the rest in state custody, records show. That's because the Northvale native had been found with more than 2,400 illegal child-porn images -- and was caught chatting online with …
One Arrest Made During Gaza War Protest In Teaneck One Arrest Made During Gaza War Protest In Teaneck
One Arrest Made During Gaza War Protest In Teaneck FOLLOW UP: An Upper Manhattanite was the only person arrested at a large demonstration outside a Teaneck synagogue, authorities said. Pro-Palestinian protestors faced off against Jewish counter-demonstrators during a fundraiser on Monday, April 1, at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun on West Englewood Avenue. The private event featured a representative of ZAKA, a Jewish group that collects body parts and blood for burial at the scenes of accidents and terrorist attacks. After American Muslims for Palestine and Within Our Lifetime announced plans to picket the event, township authorities took the …
Teen Trio Caught Burglarizing 120-Year-Old NJ Museum, Stealing 9/11 Newspaper Front Page Teen Trio Caught Burglarizing 120-Year-Old NJ Museum, Stealing 9/11 Newspaper Front Page
Teen Trio Caught Burglarizing 120-Year-Old NJ Museum, Stealing 9/11 Newspaper Front Page A Lyndhurst police officer caught a trio of teens moments after they broke into a 120-year-old museum and stole the front page from a 2001 newspaper that featured coverage of 9/11, authorities said. Officer Michael Carrino found two young men and a young woman running from the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum on Riverside Avenue while responding to a burglar alarm shortly before 7:20 p.m. Sunday, March 31, Detective Lt. Vincent Auteri said. Carrino immediately identified himself as a police officer, stopping all three in their tracks, the lieutenant said. Lt. Richard Holicki and Officers Mark…
NJ Contractor Who Ducked Taxes On $3.27 Million Charged In 18-Count Indictment: Feds NJ Contractor Who Ducked Taxes On $3.27 Million Charged In 18-Count Indictment: Feds
NJ Contractor Who Ducked Taxes On $3.27 Million Charged In 18-Count Indictment: Feds A Bergen County contractor avoided taxes on $3.275 million in income over six years through a scheme that the IRS sniffed out, federal authorities said. John Constantino, 67, of Ridgewood, ended up stiffing the government out of $682,735 in corporate and personal income taxes, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. As sole owner and president, Constantino took steps to conceal both his personal income and assets and those of his fireproofing and painting business between 2017 and 2022, the U.S. attorney said. For starters, Constantino used a false address on his driver’s licen…
14 Years Later: Accused Child Porn Collector From NJ Busted Again 14 Years Later: Accused Child Porn Collector From NJ Busted Again
14 Years Later: Accused Child Porn Collector From NJ Busted Again A New Milford man busted for collecting child porn 14 years ago has been arrested again. State Parole Board officers tipped off local authorities after taking Brian Driscoll, 36, into custody this past January, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. A court-approved search of Driscoll’s electronic devices by members of the prosecutor’s Cyber Crimes Unit found that he'd “viewed, downloaded, and/or possessed a total of 1,102 items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Musella said. The detectives arrested Driscoll on Wednesday, March 27, he said. …
Ex-Con Involved In Undercover Shooting Charged With Drug-Induced Death Of NJ Man Ex-Con Involved In Undercover Shooting Charged With Drug-Induced Death Of NJ Man
Ex-Con Involved In Undercover Shooting Charged With Drug-Induced Death Of NJ Man UPDATE: An ex-con from Garfield who served time for a botched drug deal that led to the shooting of an undercover police officer was arrested on Thursday and charged with causing the overdose death of a 30-year-old user late last summer. Melvin Guzman, 29, is charged with strict liability in the drug-induced death of Ivan Santiago of Passaic last Sept. 17, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on March 28. Santiago and another user were hospitalized after overdosing at a home on Lincoln Place, the prosecutor said. He was pronounced dead soon after. “A six-month investigation by t…
HORRIFYING: Convicted Sex Offender Lured Foreign Woman To NJ To Abuse Her Kids, Feds Say HORRIFYING: Convicted Sex Offender Lured Foreign Woman To NJ To Abuse Her Kids, Feds Say
Horrifying: Convicted Sex Offender Lured Foreign Woman To NJ To Abuse Her Kids, Feds Say WARNING: The allegations described in this report are horrific in the extreme. A registered sex offender from Bergen County lured a woman from the other side of the world to the United States so he could sexually abuse her two young children, federal authorities charged. Corey Hipscher, 52, of Lodi first got the woman's 11-year-old daughter to take naked selfies and send them to him after connecting directly with the youngster on social media, the FBI said. Among the horrific images, federal authorities said, is a video of the youngster self-penetrating with the top of a bowling pin. Soon…
NJ Fugitive Captured In Indiana: Child Porn Charges Await 'Mountain' Man In Bergen County NJ Fugitive Captured In Indiana: Child Porn Charges Await 'Mountain' Man In Bergen County
NJ Fugitive Captured In Indiana: Child Porn Charges Await 'Mountain' Man In Bergen County A former Ridgewood resident who'd returned to his native Indiana while awaiting trial on child porn charges was zapped with a stun gun by state troopers who arrested him there on a fugitive warrant. Indiana State Police seized 70-year-old Robert "Mountain" Flynn after he tried to bolt out the back door of his current home in Anderson, IN, authorities said. The 6-foot, 190-pound fugitive apparently didn't require medical attention after resisting, authorities said. No troopers were reported injured. Flynn, who'd previously owned a sprinkler company in Waldwick and also worked as a local bo…
Man Charged With Killing NJ High Schooler With Fentanyl-Laced Pill Man Charged With Killing NJ High Schooler With Fentanyl-Laced Pill
Man Charged With Killing NJ High Schooler With Fentanyl-Laced Pill 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 17-year-old Park Ridge boy was killed by a single imitation painkiller laced with fentanyl that was given to him by a Westwood man who's been charged with causing his death. The boy thought he was taking an Oxycontin pill before he overdosed last Sept. 14, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Officers who responded to the emergency call administered Narcan, among other life-saving measures, the prosecutor said. The high school senior was pronounced dead a short time later. Detectives from the prosecutor’s Narcotic Task Force determined during a six-month investigatio…
GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More GUILTY: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More
Guilty: ‘Bling Bishop’ From Bergen Convicted Of Swindling NJ Parishioner's Mom, More 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A flashy Brooklyn bishop who lives in Bergen County – and was infamously robbed at gunpoint during a live-streamed church service – was convicted in lower Manhattan of swindling the elderly mom of a parishioner out of her life savings, among other counts. Lamor Whitehead, 45, promised to put the $90,000 toward buying her a home, federal prosecutors told jurors in the Southern U.S. District of New York who found him guilty of all charges after only three hours of deliberations on Monday, March 11. Instead, the infamous "Bling Bishop" blew the money on BMW payments and luxury purchase…
NJ Coach Charged With Sexually Assaulting Second Child NJ Coach Charged With Sexually Assaulting Second Child
NJ Coach Charged With Sexually Assaulting Second Child 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A North Jersey youth strength and conditioning coach who’s already awaiting trial first for a double-fatal car crash in Lodi and then for repeated sex assaults of a child is back in jail. Donald Kumar Davis, 33, of Lyndhurst was charged by detectives with sexually assaulting a second child, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on Monday, March, 4. Davis -- formerly of Nutley -- was previously accused of killing a retired Albanian police chief and a Garfield Walmart manager when he slammed his 2015 Dodge Charger into their car as the immigrant couple as they emerged from t…
GOTCHA! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark GOTCHA! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark
Gotcha! Five Charged With Rash Of Bergen Armed Wristwatch Robberies, Stabbing In PalPark Authorities have charged five men with robbing three separate victims of wristwatches – stabbing one of them – in two Bergen County towns, thanks to an arrest by Port Authority police. Two of the robberies occurred in broad daylight on River Road in Edgewater last fall, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Friday, March 1. The third included a stabbing in the victim’s driveway in Palisades Park, the prosecutor said. One of two robbers brandished a handgun while a colleague stood lookout when they robbed the first Edgewater victim shortly after 3 a.m. Oct. 24, Musella said. The ro…
Stolen Jersey Shore Mercedes Found In Bergen County, Suspects Wanted: Police Stolen Jersey Shore Mercedes Found In Bergen County, Suspects Wanted: Police
Stolen Jersey Shore Mercedes Found In Bergen County, Suspects Wanted: Police Police in Atlantic County are looking for whoever stole a car and drove it about two hours to Bergen County, authorities said. Longport police said a Mercedes sedan was stolen on the 3300 block of Atlantic Avenue between 3 and 4:15 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24. The suspected thieves broke into a home and took the car keys. Two people were seen leaving the stolen car in Lyndhurst. Their identities were unknown. Anyone with information should email Officer Alec Morelli with Longport police at morelli_alec@longportpd.org.
Ex-NJ Middle School Band Director Charged With Sexual Touching Ex-NJ Middle School Band Director Charged With Sexual Touching
Ex-NJ Middle School Band Director Charged With Sexual Touching A Sussex County high school administrator had sexual contact multiple times with an underage student in Bergen County when he was a middle school band director there, authorities charged. Kurt Zimmerman, a 55-year-old married father of two, “engaged in sexual conduct” with a student between 13 and 17 years old both at Westwood Regional Middle School in Westwood and at Westwood Regional High School in Washington Township, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Zimmerman, of Rockaway, has worked since 2013 at Hopatcong High School, first as a band director for 10 years and then as coo…
NJ Man Who Stabbed Dad Dead Tried Burning Body To Destroy Evidence, Investigators Find NJ Man Who Stabbed Dad Dead Tried Burning Body To Destroy Evidence, Investigators Find
NJ Man Who Stabbed Dad Dead Tried Burning Body To Destroy Evidence, Investigators Find UPDATE: A Paramus man who’d just stabbed his father to death dragged the body to a bathroom and tried to set it on fire last week as part of an attempt to conceal what he’d done, authorities said. Melvin Thomas repeatedly stabbed his father, 61-year-old Manuel Thomas, in the chest with a kitchen knife on Valentine’s Day, a criminal complaint says. He then dragged the bloody corpse to a bathroom where he tried igniting it with a lighter, according to the complaint filed by Paramus Police Detective Justin Sicari. “This attempt failed,” the detective wrote. Melvin Thomas wiped off the bloody…
Paramus Murder: Man Stabbed Dad Dead, Left Him In Home Two Days, Sources Say Paramus Murder: Man Stabbed Dad Dead, Left Him In Home Two Days, Sources Say
Paramus Murder: Man Stabbed Dad Dead, Left Him In Home Two Days, Sources Say UPDATE: A Paramus man who’d just stabbed his father to death dragged the body to a bathroom and tried to set it on fire last week as part of an attempt to conceal what he’d done, authorities said. Melvin Thomas repeatedly stabbed his father, 61-year-old Manuel Thomas, in the chest with a kitchen knife on Valentine’s Day, a criminal complaint says. He then dragged the bloody corpse to a bathroom where he tried igniting it with a lighter, according to the complaint filed by Paramus Police Detective Justin Sicari. “This attempt failed,” the detective wrote. Melvin Thomas wiped off the b…
Paramus Man Stabbed Dead By Son, Left For Two Days: Authorities Paramus Man Stabbed Dead By Son, Left For Two Days: Authorities
Paramus Man Stabbed Dead By Son, Left For Two Days: Authorities UPDATE: A Paramus man who’d just stabbed his father to death dragged the body to a bathroom and tried to set it on fire last week as part of an attempt to conceal what he’d done, authorities said. Melvin Thomas repeatedly stabbed his father, 61-year-old Manuel Thomas, in the chest with a kitchen knife on Valentine’s Day, a criminal complaint says. He then dragged the bloody corpse to a bathroom where he tried igniting it with a lighter, according to the complaint filed by Paramus Police Detective Justin Sicari. “This attempt failed,” the detective wrote. Melvin Thomas wiped off …
High Schooler Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Hit And Run That Killed NJ Mom High Schooler Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Hit And Run That Killed NJ Mom
High Schooler Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Hit And Run That Killed NJ Mom UPDATE: A high school student who caused a crash that killed a Teaneck mom near her home has been charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, authorities announced on Tuesday. Dymond T. Fryson, 40, briefly clung to life following the horrific 7:52 a.m. Jan. 25 crash at the intersection of Palmer and Sherman avenues. Witnesses said the other driver, a Bogota High School student who was with a classmate, sped through multiple stop signs before his 2015 Ford Explorer slammed into Fryson’s 2022 Nissan Rogue three blocks from the high school. The impact sent Fryson’s…
Illegal Border Crosser Seized By ICE After Punching Local NJ Officer In Face Illegal Border Crosser Seized By ICE After Punching Local NJ Officer In Face
Illegal Border Crosser Seized By ICE After Punching Local NJ Officer In Face A Guatemalan national who authorities said crossed the U.S. border illegally was seized by federal agents after he punched a Closter police officer in the face. Emiliano Cotzalo-Santiago, 24, was living in Palisades Park and working on a construction site in Closter when he began walking down the middle of Cedar Lane, obstructing traffic, Police Capt. Vincent Aiello said. This prompted calls to police. Cotzal-Santiago “attacked the first officer that he came in contact with by punching him in the face,” the captain said. A second officer sustained cuts on his hand as they attempted to han…
Fugitive Hunted In 'Bling Bishop' Robbery Killed By US Marshals In NJ Hotel Shootout Fugitive Hunted In 'Bling Bishop' Robbery Killed By US Marshals In NJ Hotel Shootout
Fugitive Hunted In 'Bling Bishop' Robbery Killed By US Marshals In NJ Hotel Shootout 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: A fugitive wanted for robbing a "bling" bishop from Bergen County during an online service was killed by U.S. Marshals Wednesday afternoon during a shootout at a Route 1 hotel, federal sources confirmed. Ex-con Shamar Leggette was the subject of a manhunt following the infamous 2022 gunpoint robbery of "Bling Bishop" Lamor Whitehead of Paramus during a live-streamed church service in Brooklyn. Leggette, 41, of Brooklyn, also shot a man in Providence, RI last September, authorities there said. Members of the U.S. States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Task Force, assisting th…
Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says
Passaic Sheriff Berdnik's Death By Suicide 'Unfathomable Loss' For NJ, Attorney General Says Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik died by his own hand on Tuesday in his hometown Clifton, in what the Garden State's attorney general called "an unfathomable loss for New Jersey." Emergency responders rushed to Toro's Turkish Restaurant on Hazel Street a few minutes after 3:30 p.m. Jan. 23. Berdnik had just taken his life in the men's room, the sudden gunshot through the heart startling staff and patrons alike, sources told Daily Voice. Not even 15 minutes earlier, the popular sheriff had posed for cellphone photos. Then he got a phone call with some very unsettling news, reliable so…
Disgraced NJ Judge’s Son Charged With Collecting Child Porn Disgraced NJ Judge’s Son Charged With Collecting Child Porn
Disgraced NJ Judge’s Son Charged With Collecting Child Porn BREAKING NEWS: The son of a former judge who was removed from the bench for misconduct was busted on child porn charges following a raid on the family home in Waldwick, authorities confirmed on Friday. George M. Silebi, 27, “used the Internet to view, download, and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Jan. 18. Detectives from Musella’s Cyber Crimes Unit raided the Sheridan Avenue home of former Superior Court Judge Liliana DeAvila-Silebi exactly a week earlier. From there they traveled to N…
Disgraced Owner Of Failed NJ Nursing Home Chain From NY Admits Stiffing IRS Out Of $39M: Feds Disgraced Owner Of Failed NJ Nursing Home Chain From NY Admits Stiffing IRS Out Of $39M: Feds
Disgraced Owner Of Failed NJ Nursing Home Chain From NY Admits Stiffing IRS Out Of $39M: Feds 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A onetime insurance broker from Rockland County who ran a nationwide network of nearly 100 nursing homes into the ground from an office over a Bergen County pizzeria admitted that he purposely shorted the IRS nearly $39M, federal authorities said. Joseph Schwartz, 64, of Suffern, owned Skyline Management Group, which was based in the Wood-Ridge and amassed 95 nursing homes across 11 states. These once included Hudson View Care & Rehab Center in North Bergen, Brookhaven Health Care Center in East Orange and the Voorhees Care & Rehabilitation Center. Over a period of only sev…
Elderly NJ Couple's Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M From Them, Feds Charge Elderly NJ Couple's Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M From Them, Feds Charge
Elderly NJ Couple's Personal Assistant Stole $2.9M From Them, Feds Charge An elderly Bergen County couple had $2.9 million stolen by a now-former Ridgewood Public Library tech administrator whom they'd hired to be a part-time assistant at their home, federal authorities said following his arrest. Charles Gallo, 34, of Hawthorne, was responsible for managing the victims’ monthly bills, handling their banking and helping them with email and other issues involving technology after being hired in 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. The couple trusted Gallo with their personal bank accounts, credit card accounts, online retail accounts and email, the U.S. at…
HEROES: Hackensack Responders Rescue Dog Sitter Being Mauled While Protecting Child (UPDATE) HEROES: Hackensack Responders Rescue Dog Sitter Being Mauled While Protecting Child (UPDATE)
Heroes: Hackensack Responders Rescue Dog Sitter Being Mauled While Protecting Child (Update) A dog sitter who was being mauled while she tried to protect a small child was rescued by Hackensack's emergency responders, authorities said. Screams for help brought Officers Ryan Conlon and Denisse Caero to the Hudson Street home shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, said Capt. Michael Antista, the officer in charge of the department. An American pit bull terrier had mauled two other dogs at the residence and had bitten the 40-year-old victim severely on both arms as she tried to intervene while holding tight to the youngster, responders said. "There was a lot of blood," one of …