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Passaic County Prosecutor's Office

Paterson Officers Charged With Covering For NYPD Captain Indicted For Brutally Beating Woman Paterson Officers Charged With Covering For NYPD Captain Indicted For Brutally Beating Woman
Paterson Officers Charged With Covering For Nypd Captain Indicted For Brutally Beating Woman UPDATE: The other shoe finally dropped with the arrests of three Paterson police officers in connection with what authorities said was the kidnapping and brutal beating of an off-duty female NYPD commander from New Jersey by a fellow captain she'd been dating. Giuseppe Ciarla, Juan Cruz-Fernandez and Jason Schmid let then-NYPD Capt. Hariton Marachilian leave after finding the victim with clearly visible injuries from a vicious beating outside a Paterson restaurant in December 2022, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Marachilian and the female captain had been out to dinner wi…
GOTCHA! Fugitive, 77, In 1997 Passaic Stabbing Captured After 26½ Years On Run GOTCHA! Fugitive, 77, In 1997 Passaic Stabbing Captured After 26½ Years On Run
Gotcha! Fugitive, 77, In 1997 Passaic Stabbing Captured After 26½ Years On Run Ramon Siri ducked authorities for 26½ years after they pegged him as the assailant who stabbed another man in a Passaic apartment in 1997. Then he slipped up. The city resident was arrested without incident late Tuesday afternoon, March 19, after authorities got a tip that he was back in town, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Police Chief Luis A. Guzman announced Friday. Siri remained held in the Bergen County Jail, charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and illegal weapons possession. Witnesses at the time said the unidentified victim was stabbed below t…
UPDATE: Hackensack Man Charged With Murder Of Paterson Woman, 22, Gunned Down Outside Her Home UPDATE: Hackensack Man Charged With Murder Of Paterson Woman, 22, Gunned Down Outside Her Home
Update: Hackensack Man Charged With Murder Of Paterson Woman, 22, Gunned Down Outside Her Home Authorities on Wednesday captured one of a group of men who they said purposely shot and killed a 22-year-old Paterson woman last fall. Ex-con Christopher Thomas, 26, of Hackensack was charged with murder and weapons offenses, as well as with conspiracy, for his role in gunning down Mary “Tink” Taylor on Oct. 1, 2023 outside a bar across from the apartment building where she lived with her mom. Five men jumped into a car that sped off following the shooting shortly before 9:30 p.m. in the city’s Great Falls Historic District, witnesses told investigators. It wasn’t clear how many fired. A…
NJ Man Once Busted For Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Child Porn: Sheriff NJ Man Once Busted For Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Child Porn: Sheriff
NJ Man Once Busted For Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Child Porn: Sheriff A Clifton resident who was once busted with what authorities said was an anatomically correct child sex doll was caught collecting porn videos featuring victims from four to 12 years old, authorities charged. Miguel A. Guevara, 32, who works as a supervisor for a package delivery company in Secaucus, has been on lifetime parole the past four years, Acting Passaic County Sheriff Gary Giardina said. He showed up again on investigators' radar about five months ago, Giardina said. That's when members of the sheriff's Internet Crime Against Children Task Force "found [that] sever…
JAW-DROPPER: Accused Killer Of Paterson Woman Found Bludgeoned, Shot Could Be Freed In 3 Years JAW-DROPPER: Accused Killer Of Paterson Woman Found Bludgeoned, Shot Could Be Freed In 3 Years
Jaw-dropper: Accused Killer Of Paterson Woman Found Bludgeoned, Shot Could Be Freed In 3 Years The accused killer of a woman whose body was found battered, bloodied and stuffed into a car parked on a Paterson street cut a plea deal that staggered the victim's loved ones. Now they want the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office investigated. Someone "should shed light on the lack of accountability the prosecutor's office takes for letting killers walk free in our community," said Sandra Williams. Williams was the one who'd called police and later found the body of her friend, 38-year-old single mom Stephanie DeJesus of Paterson, in the victims's Lincoln MKZ at the intersection of James S…
Malnourished NJ Dog Left In Freezing Cold Rescued By Police, Couple Charged With Cruelty Malnourished NJ Dog Left In Freezing Cold Rescued By Police, Couple Charged With Cruelty
Malnourished NJ Dog Left In Freezing Cold Rescued By Police, Couple Charged With Cruelty A call from a concerned citizen brought a trio of Haledon police officers to a heartbreaking scene. Outside a home on Southside Avenue, they found "a young gray pit bull collapsed on the ground, severely emaciated and exhibiting signs of frostbite and hypothermia," Deputy Police Chief George Guzman, Jr. said.Her name is Elsa. Officers Nasir Mora and Antonio Parisi and Corporal Andrea Boos provided emergency care and rushed Elsa to a local animal hospital, the deputy chief said. The borough's human law enforcement officer, Corporal April Latona, then led an investigation assisted …
KIDNAPPING: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized KIDNAPPING: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized
Kidnapping: NJ Girl, 11, Returned Home Safely From Delaware, Accused Abductor, 27, Seized An 11-year-old New Jersey girl was returned home safely after she was kidnapped in Wayne and taken to Delaware, authorities said. Darius Matylewich, 27, of Bear, DE. was captured on Sept. 10 after he took the girl earlier in the day from an undisclosed location near the confluence of Routes 46, 80 and 23 without her parents’ knowledge, they said. Certain specific details are being withheld to protect the identity of the child, whom authorities said Matylewich met while playing an online video game. Some information was provided in a joint release from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. V…
Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim
Former Officer Charged With Tapping Police Database To Stalk Passaic County Victim A now-former Palisades Interstate Parkway police officer used information from a law enforcement database to stalk an individual in Passaic County, authorities charged. Amir Sikder, 22, of Paterson was able to find the victim in Wayne after tapping into the database, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff and Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Chief Steven Shallop said in a joint announcement on Friday, Oct. 6. Sikder was arrested in Totowa on Thursday by members of Valdes’s Public Integrity Unit following a probe with detectives from McNiff’s Criminal…
UPDATE: Jurors Convict Bergen County Man Of Gunning Down Newly-Released Killer UPDATE: Jurors Convict Bergen County Man Of Gunning Down Newly-Released Killer
Update: Jurors Convict Bergen County Man Of Gunning Down Newly-Released Killer A 25-year-old South Hackensack man was convicted of gunning down a convicted killer who’d only just been released from prison after serving his time. Rather than accept a plea deal, Naszhere Marquette Jones took his chances with a jury – and lost – in connection with the March 2021 shooting death of ex-con Jaquan Harrison, 35, in Paterson. Jurors in Paterson found Jones guilty of reckless manslaughter and weapons offenses following a day and a half of deliberations, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said on Friday, Sept. 29. Harrison had spent more than four years in state prison…
Mom, 73, Son Found Shot Dead In NJ Home Mom, 73, Son Found Shot Dead In NJ Home
Mom, 73, Son Found Shot Dead In NJ Home A 73-year-old grandmother and her 33-year-old son were found shot dead in her Clifton home, authorities confirmed on Wednesday. Investigators said Peter Koc apparently fired the shots that killed him and Zofia Koc in the 3rd Street home that she and his late father bought when was a toddler. However, they have more work to do before officially determining whether it was a murder-suicide or an incident that may have begun with an unintentional shooting, Daily Voice has learned. Police found the bodies, and the gun, while conducting a requested welfare check at the family’s home near Hadley …
Man Found Shot Dead In Car On Paterson Street Man Found Shot Dead In Car On Paterson Street
Man Found Shot Dead In Car On Paterson Street A man was found shot dead before dawn in a parked car on a Paterson street, and authorities haven't yet said whether or not they consider it suspicious. They're seeking witnesses. The man, whom authorities were trying to identify, was found by officers acting on a tip in the area of Route 19 and Ward Street shortly after 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi said in a brief release. He had a gunshot wound in his head, they said. They didn’t say whether a weapon was found or whether they consider the circums…
Teen Dead, Man Wounded In Paterson's First Homicide In Nearly Two Months Teen Dead, Man Wounded In Paterson's First Homicide In Nearly Two Months
Teen Dead, Man Wounded In Paterson's First Homicide In Nearly Two Months A 19-year-old man was killed and an older man wounded in a hail of gunfire in a Paterson neighborhood that has seen more than its share of shootings. How many shooters were involved in the latest incident on Putnam Street near Rosa Parks Boulevard shortly before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, wasn't immediately clear. Both victims were rushed via private vehicles to St. Joseph's University Medical Center, responders said. The younger one died in the emergency room, they said. The older one, 29, was in stable condition. Their identities weren't released. It had been exactly seven weeks sin…
THIS IS HIM: Help Sought Capturing Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed NJ Military Vet, 83 THIS IS HIM: Help Sought Capturing Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed NJ Military Vet, 83
This IS HIM: Help Sought Capturing Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed NJ Military Vet, 83 Authorities released the name and a photo of the accused hit-and-run driver who they said killed an 83-year-old Hawthorne man as he crossed the street near his home. Juan Martinez Gonzalez, who recently lived in Hawthorne, was behind the wheel of the Ford F-150 that struck Joe Bender as he crossed Wagaraw Road at Passaic Avenue -- near the Fair Lawn border -- shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28, they said. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran was pronounced dead a short time later at St. Joseph's University Medical Center. Police found the pickup abandoned in the City of Passaic on June …
FACE OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison FACE OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison
Face OF EVIL: Series Of Sex Assaults On Paterson Girl Sends Ecuadorian National, 67, To Prison A 67-year-old Ecuadorian national living in Paterson was sentenced to 44 years in state prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in her home. Julio Largo-Veletanga was convicted by a jury in Paterson last November of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, child endangerment and hindering his arrest. Under the sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli earlier this month, he'd have to serve 25 years before he could be eligible for parole. Largo-Veletanga has remained in custody since city police arrested him in May 2020. Detectives from the Pas…
BAIL REFORM: Accused Felon Freed By Judge Guns Down Fellow Paterson Man, 22, Authorities Charge BAIL REFORM: Accused Felon Freed By Judge Guns Down Fellow Paterson Man, 22, Authorities Charge
Bail Reform: Accused Felon Freed By Judge Guns Down Fellow Paterson Man, 22, Authorities Charge Erlyn Nunez had spent all of five days in jail after being busted on a gun charge when a judge freed him earlier this year under New Jersey's bail reform law. Less than a month later, authorities said, he shot and killed a 22-year-old fellow Paterson resident. Nunez was originally arrested on a weapons charge in Paterson on April 21. A judge ordered him released from the Bergen County Jail on April 26, records show. On May 21, Paterson police responded to a reported shooting in the area of East 13th and River streets. They found a mortally wounded man whom authorities have, for some u…
UPDATE: State Authorities Leave Review Of Armed Gunman's Shooting By Passaic PD To Prosecutor UPDATE: State Authorities Leave Review Of Armed Gunman's Shooting By Passaic PD To Prosecutor
Update: State Authorities Leave Review Of Armed Gunman's Shooting By Passaic PD To Prosecutor UPDATE: State authorities signaled their faith Thursday that the wounding of an armed man by a Passaic police officer on Wednesday was what everyone involved agrees was a clean shoot. A mandatory review of the incident that is required of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has been left in the hands of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the prosecutor herself said on May 11. Officers responding to a call of a man shooting a gun in the area of Passaic Avenue and Lackawanna Place near the train station encountered the suspect shortly before 6:30 p.m. May 10, Passaic Mayor …
UPDATE: Gunman Shot By Police In Passaic Expected To Survive UPDATE: Gunman Shot By Police In Passaic Expected To Survive
Update: Gunman Shot By Police In Passaic Expected To Survive UPDATE: State authorities signaled their faith Thursday that the wounding of an armed man by a Passaic police officer on Wednesday was what everyone involved agrees was a clean shoot. A mandatory review of the incident that is required of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has been left in the hands of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the prosecutor herself said on Thursday, May 11. Officers responding to a call of a man shooting a gun in the area of Passaic Avenue and Lackawanna Place near the train station encountered the suspect shortly before 6:30 p.m. May 10, Pass…
Bias Intimidation: Clifton Man Charged With Smearing Feces On School Sign Bias Intimidation: Clifton Man Charged With Smearing Feces On School Sign
Bias Intimidation: Clifton Man Charged With Smearing Feces On School Sign A Clifton man was charged with bias intimidation on Friday for smearing feces on a sign at a Paterson elementary school earlier in the week, authorities announced. Mohamad Bekheet, 32, struck in the early morning hours on Monday, April 10, at a pre-K-through-8th grade school named for the late Dr. Hani Awadallah, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. Platkin said Bekheet smeared feces over the last five letters of the name of the local educator and advocate for Arab Americans and Palestinians – or “Allah,” which means “God.” He was charged by the state Division of Criminal J…
3 Paterson Officers Used 'Less Lethal Force' Before Two Shot Non-Violence Activist, AG Says 3 Paterson Officers Used 'Less Lethal Force' Before Two Shot Non-Violence Activist, AG Says
3 Paterson Officers Used 'Less Lethal Force' Before Two Shot Non-Violence Activist, AG Says UPDATE: Three Paterson police officers first employed “less lethal force” before two others shot and killed a local non-violence activist who was in the middle of a mental health crisis last week, the state’s top law enforcement official said Wednesday. Tensions were rising in the city as New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin formally identified Najee Seabrooks, who was killed during the nearly five-hour confrontation at his home last Friday, and the officers who were directly involved in a release on Wednesday. Mayor Andre Sayegh, who has been criticized by community leaders for …
UPDATE: Wild Stolen Car Chase Ends In Paterson With Struggle, Gunshot, Prosecutor Confirms UPDATE: Wild Stolen Car Chase Ends In Paterson With Struggle, Gunshot, Prosecutor Confirms
Update: Wild Stolen Car Chase Ends In Paterson With Struggle, Gunshot, Prosecutor Confirms A Paterson police officer’s gun accidentally discharged during the arrest of a repeat offender from Sussex County after he led officers on a wild stolen car chase, authorities said. It took three days for Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes to confirm the incident from Monday night, Jan. 9. Members of the city’s Street Crimes Unit had tried to stop the vehicle around 9 p.m., but the driver kept going, Valdes said in a release. They pursued the vehicle down Katz Avenue into Haledon and then back into Paterson, says the release, issued shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12. Office…
Police Impersonator Flashes Badge At Route 80 Crash, Flattens Trooper's Tires At Hospital: NJSP Police Impersonator Flashes Badge At Route 80 Crash, Flattens Trooper's Tires At Hospital: NJSP
Police Impersonator Flashes Badge At Route 80 Crash, Flattens Trooper's Tires At Hospital: Njsp Here's a strange one: A Wallington man was jailed after New Jersey State Police said he showed up at the scene of a traffic accident on Route 80, flashed a badge and pretended to be a police officer.  And that's not all. Kenneth David Delgado, 53, was later caught puncturing the tires on both a State Police SUV and county prosecutor’s vehicle outside the emergency room at Hackensack University Medical Center, authorities said. Records show Delgado had briefly worked as a special police officer in Wallington, which did away with “specials” nearly five years ago. He never was an actual …
North Jersey Looking At 3½ Years For Having Assault Weapon, Explosives While Threatening Sister North Jersey Looking At 3½ Years For Having Assault Weapon, Explosives While Threatening Sister
North Jersey Looking At 3½ Years For Having Assault Weapon, Explosives While Threatening Sister A Wanaque man must serve at least 3½ years in state prison before he'll be eligible for parole after admitting in state court on Wednesday that he had an assault rifle and a pipe bomb when he attacked his sister in their home, authorities said. Michael Wierciszewski, 25, was arrested by borough police after the victim told them he lunged at her with a knife while trying to kill her at the family’s Jackson Street residence on Nov. 24, 2021. A search of the home turned up the improvised device, along with a Century Arms RAS 47 rifle that had been modified to remove the stock and accommodate a…
Paterson School Shooting Threats: Loaded Guns Found On Three Teens, One Of Them 15 Paterson School Shooting Threats: Loaded Guns Found On Three Teens, One Of Them 15
Paterson School Shooting Threats: Loaded Guns Found On Three Teens, One Of Them 15 A trio of teens were all found armed with loaded guns after a brawl broke out at JFK High School in Paterson and two juveniles threatened to shoot up the place, authorities said. Officers stationed at the school separated the students and found one of them, a 17-year-old, carrying a handgun, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro announced Sunday, Dec. 18. A 14-year-old involved in the Friday morning hallway brawl was seized after he was “overheard by responding officers threatening to commit a shooting in the school,” they said in a prepar…
Accused Kidnapper Of Couple In Paterson Has Been Jailed Since Last Week, Authorities Reveal Accused Kidnapper Of Couple In Paterson Has Been Jailed Since Last Week, Authorities Reveal
Accused Kidnapper Of Couple In Paterson Has Been Jailed Since Last Week, Authorities Reveal Authorities revealed on Monday that one of several men who carjacked and abducted a couple in Paterson last week was actually captured in Bloomfield later that night. City resident Juan Montero-Pena, 30, was among several men who accosted the 38-year-old Paterson woman and her 47-year-old male companion from Long Island in the area of Jackson Street and Washington Avenue around 8 p.m. last Thursday, Dec. 1, authorities announced on Dec. 5. Bloomfield police located the vehicle and captured Montero-Pena in the area of Arlington and Watsessing avenues in their town shortly after 9:30 p.m., Pa…
Passaic County Pedophile Who Tried To Get Victim To Change Story Gets 30 Years Without Parole Passaic County Pedophile Who Tried To Get Victim To Change Story Gets 30 Years Without Parole
Passaic County Pedophile Who Tried To Get Victim To Change Story Gets 30 Years Without Parole UPDATE: A convicted pedophile from Clifton must spend the next 30 years in prison before he’ll be eligible for parole for sexually assaulting a child over the course of several years. Alfredo Hernandez-Sanchez, 36, was convicted by jurors in Paterson this past April of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, as well as sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact and child endangerment. Investigators from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office seized Hernandez-Sanchez after being alerted by Clifton police in June 2018. The victim, who was 15 at the time, “reported being sexually abus…
Paterson Man, 34, Shot Dead Outside Church Paterson Man, 34, Shot Dead Outside Church
Paterson Man, 34, Shot Dead Outside Church A 34-year-old Paterson man was shot and killed steps from a city church early Sunday. The victim was brought via private vehicle to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after the 8 a.m. shooting, Dec. 4, on Jelsma Place near the Greater Bethel Church of Christ. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro confirmed the killing but didn’t say whether the suspected shooter had been arrested or identified. The victim’s identity was temporarily being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Meanwhile, Va…
Concern Increases As Search For Troubled NJ Mom Intensifies Concern Increases As Search For Troubled NJ Mom Intensifies
Concern Increases As Search For Troubled NJ Mom Intensifies UPDATE: "Unfortunately, Ridgewood resident Deanne Dunne has been found deceased in the Borough of Hawthorne," Ridgewood Police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke announced shortly before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.  "The Hawthorne Police are investigating the incident with the assistance of the Passaic County Prosecutors Office," the chief said. "At this time, no foul play is suspected. "Our thoughts are with her family and friends." Deanne J. Dunne, 56, had a troubled history, including a near-fatal incident more than two years ago. She was last seen leaving her Northern Parkway home near th…
Member Of Paterson '230 Boys' Admits Selling Heroin-Laced Fentanyl That Killed User Member Of Paterson '230 Boys' Admits Selling Heroin-Laced Fentanyl That Killed User
Member Of Paterson '230 Boys' Admits Selling Heroin-Laced Fentanyl That Killed User A reputed member of a notorious Paterson street gang admitted in federal court in Newark on Wednesday that he sold fentanyl-laced heroin that killed a user. Authorities didn't identify the victim who they said died after ingesting drugs sold by Wyzier Peterson, 25. Peterson was among 17 reputed 230 Boys members charged in a coordinated heroin, fentanyl and cocaine trafficking case assembled in September 2019 by a strike force comprised of agents from the DEA, ATF and state, county and local law enforcement. One of them, Keith Brinkley, shot a Belleville man in Paterson and then fled to Geo…
Fired Rookie Paterson Police Officer Indicted On Domestic Violence Charges Fired Rookie Paterson Police Officer Indicted On Domestic Violence Charges
Fired Rookie Paterson Police Officer Indicted On Domestic Violence Charges UPDATE: A Paterson rookie police officer who was fired after being arrested for domestic violence was indicted by a grand jury on aggravated assault and stalking charges. Joseph Tuminelli, 28, lasted all of seven months with the city police department after being sworn in to the job in July 2020. Members of his own department took Tuminelli into custody in February 2021. The case was then turned over to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. An indictment secured by an assistant prosecutor in Superior Court in Paterson accuses him of “multiple acts” of domestic violence, Passaic County Pr…
Two Men, 70 And 63 Years Old, Shot In Broad Daylight In Paterson, Obvious Questions Arise Two Men, 70 And 63 Years Old, Shot In Broad Daylight In Paterson, Obvious Questions Arise
Two Men, 70 And 63 Years Old, Shot In Broad Daylight In Paterson, Obvious Questions Arise Two men – one 70 years old, the other 63 – were shot in the middle of a Sunday afternoon in Paterson, authorities reported, leaving more questions than answers. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro confirmed that both victims were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center with injuries that weren’t fatal following the shooting at North 1st and Arch streets shortly after 2:30 p.m. Oct. 16. They didn’t say, however, under what circumstances the two city residents had been shot – targeted or bystanding, possible street crime or domest…
Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies
Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies A Passaic County man was convicted by a federal jury of robbing two area banks just weeks apart. Jurors found Jose Soto, 52, of Passaic guilty of robbing a PNC branch in Passaic of $35,000 and a Valley National Bank in Little Falls of $45,000 following a six-day trial in U.S. District Court in Newark. They also convicted Soto of conspiring with a Paterson man to commit the holdups and brandishing a firearm. Soto pointed a silver and black gun at customers and employees at the Main Street Valley National branch in Little Falls on Feb. 27, 2020, authorities said. His accomplice, Nicholas Or…