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Police & Fire
Bergen Biz Partner Of Power 105.1 DJ Envy Busted By Feds In Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme Bergen Biz Partner Of Power 105.1 DJ Envy Busted By Feds In Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme
Bergen Biz Partner Of Power 105.1 DJ Envy Busted By Feds In Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme A New Jersey real estate investor and influencer who's business partners with Power 105.1 DJ Envy was seized early Wednesday by federal agents who charged him with orchestrating a multimillion-dollar Ponzi-like investment scheme. Promising returns that were too good to be true, Cesar Humberto Piña "exploited celebrity status and social media" to scam dozens of people out of millions of dollars, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said on Oct. 18. Piña, 45, who lives in the suburban Bergen County town of Franklin Lakes, craftily "developed a devoted following" whom he then victi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Two Caught, One Sought: Franklin Lakes Police Cars Struck During Stolen Vehicles Pursuit Two Caught, One Sought: Franklin Lakes Police Cars Struck During Stolen Vehicles Pursuit
Two Caught, One Sought: Franklin Lakes Police Cars Struck During Stolen Vehicles Pursuit Two Franklin Lakes police cars were struck during a pre-dawn pursuit of two stolen vehicles into Paramus, authorities said. No officers were injured in the incident, which began with multiple calls from residents about a suspicious vehicle and sketchy people outside a Chestnut Place home shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, Franklin Lakes Police Capt. Mark McCombs said. Responding officers Ryan Sweeney and Nicolas Foschini, along with Sgt. Nicholas Klein, quickly spotted a 2022 Alfa Romeo that had just been stolen from a home on High Mountain Road, the captain said. It was riding in tan…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
MANHUNT: 12-Hour Search Ends In Franklin Lakes Following Fair Lawn Burglary, Pursuit, Crash MANHUNT: 12-Hour Search Ends In Franklin Lakes Following Fair Lawn Burglary, Pursuit, Crash
Manhunt: 12-Hour Search Ends In Franklin Lakes Following Fair Lawn Burglary, Pursuit, Crash What began as a home burglary in Fair Lawn ended with a crash in Franklin Lakes and the arrest of the driver exactly 12 hours later. An out-of-town resident reported remotely seeing two burglars on a security camera in her Koenig Court home just off Route 208 at 8:06 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Eric Eleshewich said. The superintendent arrived and saw the pair flee through a living-room window, the sergeant said. Responding officers rolled up on two men and a vehicle parked on northbound Route 208 moments later. The driver got back into the car and sped off, leaving hi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Pursuit Goes Up, Down Route 208, Ends In Wyckoff Crash: Franklin Lakes PD Pursuit Goes Up, Down Route 208, Ends In Wyckoff Crash: Franklin Lakes PD
Pursuit Goes Up, Down Route 208, Ends In Wyckoff Crash: Franklin Lakes PD A late-night pursuit that began in Franklin Lakes ended with a crash in Wyckoff and all four occupants bailing out, authorities said. Franklin Lakes Officer Matthew Garrison was on routine patrol when he spotted a suspicious-looking BMW X2 on Longbow Drive near Franklin Lake Road around 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, Capt. Mark McCombs said. An attempt to stop the vehicle on nearby Orchard Lane prompted the driver to hit the gas and speed off, he said. Items were tossed out of the gold SUV's window as it headed south on Route 208. It exited on Cedar Hill Avenue only to get back on 208 going …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Just-Released Repeat Offender Pinched For Porch Pirating In Franklin Lakes GOTCHA! Just-Released Repeat Offender Pinched For Porch Pirating In Franklin Lakes
Gotcha! Just-Released Repeat Offender Pinched For Porch Pirating In Franklin Lakes A repeat offender was caught snatching packages from a trio of mailboxes in a Franklin Lakes neighborhood, authorities said. Officers responding to a call of a trespasser at a Franklin Lakes Road residence grabbed Salvatore Cardinale, 47, of Hackensack on Mulberry Way shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, Capt. Mark McCombs said. Cardinale, who already had an outstanding warrant from the borough of Middlesex, had only just been released from the Bergen County Jail the day before after being arrested for shoplifting in Paramus over the weekend, records show. Franklin Lakes police charged…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Search For Suicidal Bergen Man Ends Tragically UPDATE: Search For Suicidal Bergen Man Ends Tragically
Update: Search For Suicidal Bergen Man Ends Tragically The search for a suicidal man ended when he was found hanged Saturday at an old railroad car in Franklin Lakes. The circumstances weren't considered suspicious, authorities said. An alert went out to area towns around 1 p.m. Aug. 19 after police were contacted by someone concerned for the safety of the distraught Northwest Bergen man, who was in his early 60s. His body was found a short time later on the New York, Susquehanna and Western rail line behind Franklin Lakes police headquarters and the municipal field. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification gathered evid…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bicyclist, 48, Struck In Franklin Lakes Intersection Dies Bicyclist, 48, Struck In Franklin Lakes Intersection Dies
Bicyclist, 48, Struck In Franklin Lakes Intersection Dies UPDATE: A 48-year-old bicyclist from Wyckoff died following a collision with an SUV in Franklin Lakes, authorities said. The victim's bicycle and the 2020 Acura RDX driven by a 35-year-old borough woman collided at the intersection of Briarwoods Road at Bayberry Lane shortly before 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 6, Franklin Lakes Police Capt. Mark McCombs said. The driver herself rendered CPR and first aid until police arrived moments later, witnesses said. The bicyclist was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, where he was later pronounced dead, said McCombs, the police c…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Worker Falls Head-First From Roof Of Franklin Lakes School Worker Falls Head-First From Roof Of Franklin Lakes School
Worker Falls Head-First From Roof Of Franklin Lakes School A worker was hospitalized Thursday after he fell from the roof of a school in Franklin Lakes and landed on his head, authorities said. The 54-year-old West New York laborer with Safeway Contracting out of Union plunged 10 to 15 feet at the Franklin Avenue Middle School shortly after 2 p.m. July 27, Police Capt. Mark McCombs said. He was alert and conscious while being treated for a large cut on his head before being taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, the captain said. OSHA was notified and responded for further investigation, McCombs said.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Traffic
Driver Hospitalized In Route 287 Wreck Driver Hospitalized In Route 287 Wreck
Driver Hospitalized In Route 287 Wreck A driver survived a nasty overnight crash on Route 287, authorities said. Firefighters extricated the motorist, who complained of pains in both legs after his Mazda SUV ran off the road and struck a sign and a tree on the highway's southbound side near mile marker #60 in Franklin Lakes at 1:47 a.m., New Jersey State Police Sgt. Philip Curry said. The driver was hospitalized with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening, the sergeant said.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Ex-Employees Of Franklin Lakes Cellphone Store Charged With Theft, Investigation Continues Ex-Employees Of Franklin Lakes Cellphone Store Charged With Theft, Investigation Continues
Ex-Employees Of Franklin Lakes Cellphone Store Charged With Theft, Investigation Continues Two now-former employees of a cellphone store in Franklin Lakes were charged with using customers’ information to steal from them, authorities announced. Franklin Lakes police conducted an “extensive and comprehensive” investigation over the past several months before filing theft charges against both Robert Q. Hansford, 28, of Clifton, and Haleem K. Mitchell, 25, of East Orange, Capt. Mark McCombs said. Mitchell, who’d worked with Hansford at TS Mobility AT&T on Franklin Avenue, also was charged with conspiracy, the captain said on Tuesday, July 18. Both were released pending court ac…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Flat Tire, Popped Airbags Don't Deter Wayne Driver Trying To Outrace Franklin Lakes PD Flat Tire, Popped Airbags Don't Deter Wayne Driver Trying To Outrace Franklin Lakes PD
Flat Tire, Popped Airbags Don't Deter Wayne Driver Trying To Outrace Franklin Lakes PD A repeat offender tried to outrace a Franklin Lakes police officer with a flat tire and his airbags deployed, authorities said. Needless to say, he didn't get far. Officer Kevin Shutrop spotted the crippled Toyota Camry at the traffic circle at Franklin Lake and High Mountain roads shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, Police Mark McCombs said. The officer tried pulling him over, but the driver -- identified as Wilkins Perdomo. 34, of Wayne -- tried to keep going, the captain said. Perdomo lost and then regained control of the sedan after it barreled off and then back onto southboun…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Neighbors Help Hydrate Firefighters Dousing Garage Blaze In Mahwah Neighbors Help Hydrate Firefighters Dousing Garage Blaze In Mahwah
Neighbors Help Hydrate Firefighters Dousing Garage Blaze In Mahwah Neighbors brought water bottles and firefighters from Rockland joined their colleagues on the New Jersey side of the border in dousing a garage blaze in Mahwah. The fire broke out on Sherwood Avenue, a mile from the state line, shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 5. Working swiftly in the 90-degree heat, crews needed less than 10 minutes to keep the blaze from doing serious damage to the home just 10 feet away. Mahwah Rescue and the township's other fire companies all responded.  Mutual aid responders either at the scene or in coverage included firefighters from Allendale, Franklin Lak…

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by Jerry DeMarco