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Firefighters Douse Smoky Oven Blaze At Bergen-Based Italian Food Distributor Firefighters Douse Smoky Oven Blaze At Bergen-Based Italian Food Distributor
Firefighters Douse Smoky Oven Blaze At Bergen-Based Italian Food Distributor Firefighters doused a smoky commercial oven blaze at an Italian food distributor's plant in East Rutherford. Damage was contained to the one oven in a 30-by-30-foot room at MamaMancini's on Branca Road off Route 17 near the Meadowlands after the fire broke out shortly before 8 a.m. -- although the heat melted the strip-door curtains. No injuries were reported. "A swift response by our members helped with keeping the fire contained," the East Rutherford Fire Department said in a social media post. "The fire went to two alarms for manpower relief." MamaMancini's markets and distribute pre-p…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
VIDEO: 'I'll Knock You Out,' Angry NJ Costco Customer Growls Before Terroristic Threat Arrest VIDEO: 'I'll Knock You Out,' Angry NJ Costco Customer Growls Before Terroristic Threat Arrest
Video: 'I'll Knock You Out,' Angry NJ Costco Customer Growls Before Terroristic Threat Arrest A Costco customer is accused of making "terroristic threats" after losing his temper on a Jersey Shore cashier, authorities said. In a heated exchange posted on TikTok, the 48-year-old Barnegat man bad-mouths a cashier, calling her "an old, ugly hag," Stafford Township police said. At one point, the customer threatens to smack the cashier's husband and beat up her manager, according to this TikTok video.  "I'll knock you out, too. Get out of here, you little bitch," William Commauf of Cannonball Drive is captured snapping in a profanity-laced tirade, police said. The video — tak…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Not So Fast: NJ Police Chief Corrects School Board Member’s Claims About COVID Response Not So Fast: NJ Police Chief Corrects School Board Member’s Claims About COVID Response
Not So Fast: NJ Police Chief Corrects School Board Member’s Claims About COVID Response A local Board of Education trustee got more than she bargained for when she blasted her township police department's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Dawn Kumar, saying that she was speaking as a private citizen, said during an online Wayne Township Council meeting earlier this month that she’d seen a police officer not wearing a face mask in Costco, as well as high school students ignoring social distancing by gathering on a local field. Kumar, 33, a self-described “teacher turned homemaker" who became a BOE member six months ago, said these were examples of Mayor Chris Vergano and t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
JCPenney Closing 242 Stores JCPenney Closing 242 Stores
JCPenney Closing 242 Stores JCPenney plans to permanently close 242 stores this year and next as it continues to reel from billions of dollars of debt, severe competitive disadvantages and the coronavirus pandemic. “Penney’s” cited COVID-19 when filing for bankruptcy late last week – the fourth national retailer to do so this month following J.Crew, Neiman Marcus and Stage Stores. "Until this pandemic struck, we had made significant progress rebuilding our company," CEO Jill Soltau said in a statement Friday. "Implementing this financial restructuring plan through a court-supervised process is the best path to ensure…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Tedesco Rescinds Executive Order UPDATE: Tedesco Rescinds Executive Order
Update: Tedesco Rescinds Executive Order Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco's executive order declaring a state of emergency will not be implemented as requested by Gov. Phil Murphy, officials said Thursday. Tedesco on Monday announced the executive order calling for the shutdown of malls, non-essential retail and banned groups of four or more people from public gatherings by Tuesday at 11 p.m. Then, Tuesday morning, Tedesco announced he was postponing the order until Saturday. On Wednesday, Tedesco sent a revised order to Murphy for review. As of Wednesday, Bergen County had a total of 114 confirmed cases -- the most of any cou…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Clifton PD: $28,000 Ring Swiped In Costco Swap Found Buried Near Passaic River In Wallington Clifton PD: $28,000 Ring Swiped In Costco Swap Found Buried Near Passaic River In Wallington
Clifton PD: $28,000 Ring Swiped In Costco Swap Found Buried Near Passaic River In Wallington A thief from Nutley pulled a switcheroo on a Clifton Costco clerk, swapping a stolen $1,999 diamond ring for one worth $28,000, police said Tuesday. After arresting 49-year-old Izaebela Kolano at her home, police were directed to a spot under a fence near the Passaic River in Wallington, where they found the "rock" buried under a fence, Detective Lt. Robert Bracken said. Kolano carried the first ring, stolen from the Wayne Costco earlier in the day, into the Clifton Costco on Sunday and asked to see the more expensive one, Bracken said. “After looking at it for a few moments, she returned …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Landscaper Killed In Union Identified Landscaper Killed In Union Identified
Landscaper Killed In Union Identified A landscaper who died Friday morning after a co-worker accidentally ran him over  at a Union worksite was identified by police Saturday. Jorge Velazquez, 38, of Staten Island, was working on a curb line at the Costco parking lot on Hudson Street when the co-worker, who was driving a pickup, ran over Velazquez while backing the truck up.  Police did not release the name of the driver, citing the ongoing investigation. Any witnesses or anyone else with information is being asked to call the traffic bureau at 908-851-5070. 

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Landscaper In Union Killed In Work Accident Landscaper In Union Killed In Work Accident
Landscaper In Union Killed In Work Accident A landscaper who was laying mulch at a worksite in Union was killed Friday morning when a co-worker accidentally ran over him with a truck.  The accident occurred in the parking lot of Costco, 1055 Hudson St., at 10:16 a.m. when a worker in a pickup struck the victim, police said. The victim, whose name was withheld pending notification of family, was pronounced dead at Overlook Hospital.  The accident is under investigation by Officer Micael Cocca of the Union Police Department. Witnesses or any others with information can call 908-851-5070. 

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Searchers Recover Body Of Hackensack Swimmer Who Drowned In River Searchers Recover Body Of Hackensack Swimmer Who Drowned In River
Searchers Recover Body Of Hackensack Swimmer Who Drowned In River Searchers Tuesday afternoon recovered the body of Jose Cortez from the Hackensack River, whose friends told police he drowned while trying to swim across to Bogota. The 39-year-old's body was recovered from behind the Costco just before 3 p.m. -- 48 hours after he went under -- and was being removed. Searchers pinpointed it early Monday evening but were unable to retrieve it due to the current. "Between the tide and the darkness [they] just couldn’t get him -- it’s all muck," one responder said. They waited until the 2:30 p.m. low tide, then were able to retrieve the body. Friends told p…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Teens Caught Swiping $92,000+ Worth Of Jewelry From Clifton Costco Teens Caught Swiping $92,000+ Worth Of Jewelry From Clifton Costco
Teens Caught Swiping $92,000+ Worth Of Jewelry From Clifton Costco Two teens nearly made it out of the Clifton Costco with more than $92,000 worth of stolen jewelry before security guards grabbed them, authorities said. Spotted by the guards last Friday night, the 17-year-old thieves tried to flee through an emergency exit -- but it wouldn’t open, Sgt. Robert Anderson said. Police took both into custody and retrieved the jewelry -- worth a combined $92,119.82, Anderson said. They served both teens with delinquency complaints for shoplifting and released them to adults pending a hearing in the Family Division of Superior Court in Paterson.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Companies With Bergen County Stores Earn High National Forbes Ranking Companies With Bergen County Stores Earn High National Forbes Ranking
Companies With Bergen County Stores Earn High National Forbes Ranking Forbes has released its 2018 list of best employers in the U.S. -- and several have Bergen and Passaic county locations. The list is the result of a study by Forbes and research company Statista, which identified the companies liked best by employees. Several corporations with Bergen and Passaic County locations made the list, including: No. 8: Wegmans Food Markets No. 5: Costco No. 2: Trader Joe's Google was listed at No. 3 and Michelin No. 1. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST.

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Trader Joe's With Bergen County Stores Ranks No. 2 For Best Places To Work Trader Joe's With Bergen County Stores Ranks No. 2 For Best Places To Work
Trader Joe's With Bergen County Stores Ranks No. 2 For Best Places To Work For those out there hating their job, "Forbes" Magzine has come out with their Top 100 employers to work for and the No. 2 best place to work happens to have several locations right in the area. Traders Joe's with its easy, breezy setting and apparently, bosses, came in second on the magazine's list that included an exhaustive survey nationally of employees including the likes of Google (#3), Costco (#5) and the main surprise, Michelin (which came in 33 last year) as the number one employer. The store, with locations in Hartsdale, Scarsdale, Larchmont in Westchester also has store…

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by Kathy Reakes