Fair 78°
Police & Fire
Man Posing As Taxi Driver Kidnaps, Sexually Assaults Woman Across Central Jersey: Cops Man Posing As Taxi Driver Kidnaps, Sexually Assaults Woman Across Central Jersey: Cops
Man Posing As Taxi Driver Kidnaps, Sexually Assaults Woman Across Central Jersey: Cops A 69-year-old man who posed as a taxi driver has been arrested for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman as he drove her to various locations across Central Jersey, authorities said. Andrew S. Giannetto, of Sayreville, was charged with first-degree kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual contact, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. On Saturday, July 1, the Perth Amboy Police Department received a report that a woman was approached by a man she didn't know, who was operating a 2016 silver Kia Soul.  He told the victim that he was a …

SHARE

by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
AT LONG LAST: Fort Lee Bar Owner’s Killer Returned To NJ After 30 Years AT LONG LAST: Fort Lee Bar Owner’s Killer Returned To NJ After 30 Years
AT Long Last: Fort Lee Bar Owner’s Killer Returned To NJ After 30 Years Justice may have been delayed, but it isn't being denied to loved ones of a Bergen County businessman who was tortured, robbed and savagely slain in his Hudson River apartment three decades ago. Jimmy Polites began the night of Aug. 4, 1994 with friends at the tavern he co-owned in Fort Lee. Hours later he was bound to a chair and hanged with an electrical cord in his Edgewater townhouse. It has taken nearly 30 years for his killer to finally pay. Thomas Christopher James was released from a New York State prison late this week after serving 28 years for murdering a reputed Long Island mo…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Onetime Kid Guitarist From Paramus Charged With Kidnapping Woman In East Rutherford Onetime Kid Guitarist From Paramus Charged With Kidnapping Woman In East Rutherford
Onetime Kid Guitarist From Paramus Charged With Kidnapping Woman In East Rutherford A Paramus man was charged with first-degree kidnapping after authorities in East Rutherford said he abducted his ex-girlfriend. Adam Sarkisian, 26, was arguing with the woman when he suddenly grabbed her by the sweatshirt, yanked her into his 2008 Dodge Charger and sped off on Oak Street around 2:15 a.m. Sunday, June 25, Police Capt. Jeff Yannacone said. An alert went out to area law enforcement agencies after the woman's mother dialed 911. Hasbrouck Heights police checked behind the Hilton Hotel, just off Routes 17 and 80, because Sarkisian had been known to sleep in an old fire truck in …

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
HOME INVASION: Accused NYPD Impersonators Jailed In Gunpoint Bergen Robbery HOME INVASION: Accused NYPD Impersonators Jailed In Gunpoint Bergen Robbery
Home Invasion: Accused Nypd Impersonators Jailed In Gunpoint Bergen Robbery UPDATE: Two men accused of posing as New York City detectives to rob a Fair Lawn resident at gunpoint during a home invasion last fall have been brought to Bergen County after being arrested out of state. Whether local or federal authorities will be prosecuting them and four alleged accomplices -- three of whom have already been released -- remains an open question, at least publicly. All seven were arrested in New York State last month and charged in a Nov. 17, 2022 home invasion in which residents were zip-tied and an undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry was stolen. The two main defen…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Cyber Attorney Linked To Rapes, Kidnappings In Boston: FBI NJ Cyber Attorney Linked To Rapes, Kidnappings In Boston: FBI
NJ Cyber Attorney Linked To Rapes, Kidnappings In Boston: FBI A New Jersey attorney is believed to be behind a string of rapes and kidnappings in Boston more than 15 years ago, according to federal officials.  Matthew Nilo, 35, of Weehawken, was linked to the rapes through investigative forensic genealogy, which combines uses traditional DNA analysis on publicly available genealogy research and historical records, said Joe Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the Boston office of the FBI.  This technique was not available when the attacks were happening. The alleged attacks happened in August and November 2007 and August and December 2008 in …

SHARE

by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
HOME INVASION: Seven Captured, Charged With Posing As NYPD To Tie Up And Rob Fair Lawn Resident HOME INVASION: Seven Captured, Charged With Posing As NYPD To Tie Up And Rob Fair Lawn Resident
Home Invasion: Seven Captured, Charged With Posing As Nypd To Tie Up And Rob Fair Lawn Resident UPDATE: Two men accused of posing as law enforcement officers to rob a Fair Lawn resident at gunpoint during a home invasion last fall have been brought to Bergen County after being arrested out of state. Whether local or federal authorities will be prosecuting them and four alleged accomplices -- three of whom have already been released -- remains an open question, at least publicly. All seven were arrested in New York State last month and charged in a Nov. 17, 2022 home invasion in which residents were zip-tied and an undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry was stolen. The two main defend…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds
NEW Charges: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A South Jersey man repeatedly raped a woman he'd kidnapped and held hostage during a nearly year-long cross-country trip, state authorities said an ongoing investigation has found. James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, was captured and has remained jailed ever since the woman escaped from a residence in Bass Township and fled to safety at a nearby gas station three months ago, ending a terrifying year in captivity. Parillo originally was charged with first-degree kidnapping, criminal restraint, aggravated assault and strangulation, as well as hindering apprehension, obstruction and refusing to…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Sex Assault Suspect Jailed In Bergen Slapped With More Charges Sex Assault Suspect Jailed In Bergen Slapped With More Charges
Sex Assault Suspect Jailed In Bergen Slapped With More Charges A 25-year-old Montclair man being held in the Bergen County jail on sexual assault allegations was arrested and charged with another incident that occurred at a Secaucus hotel last year, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Fokam Parfait, 25, is accused of physically and sexually assaulting a 28-year-old woman in a Secaucus hotel on the Meadowlands Parkway last September, Suarez said.  The victim sustained head and facial injuries and Parfait prevented her from leaving the hotel room, Suarez said. Parfait had met the woman on an online dating app, Suarez said. Parfait was char…

SHARE

by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Brutal Murderer Of Bergen County Woman Sent To Prison For 55 Years Brutal Murderer Of Bergen County Woman Sent To Prison For 55 Years
Brutal Murderer Of Bergen County Woman Sent To Prison For 55 Years UPDATE:  An East Rutherford man was sentenced to 55 years in state prison for brutally kidnapping, stabbing and strangling a female neighbor. Francis "Frank" Tattoli, 30, won't be eligible for parole for nearly 48 years for the Christmastime 2016 slaying of Mone’t Thomas, 25, in the Summer Street apartment building where both lived. Thomas, who was born in Teaneck, worked as a manager of group sales for the Holiday Inn in Secaucus. She lived in the building with her boyfriend and bulldog. She'd just taken the dog for a walk when she was attacked in the hallway. Surveillance…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA UPDATE: An ex-con who kidnapped and raped his ex-girlfriend in Pennsylvania, then torched a used car dealership in Paterson and rammed a stolen SUV into police cars at both ends of the George Washington Bridge was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison. Luis Figueroa, 42, first took a plea deal from the government that called for him to serve 26 years in a federal penitentiary. Then he abruptly withdrew his plea, took his chances with a trial – and lost. Federal jurors in Newark convicted Figueroa in May 2022 of kidnapping, criminal sexual abuse, illegal gun possession and assaulting…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Kidnapper Coaxes 12-Year-Old Into His Car, Sexually Assaults Her At His NJ Home: Prosecutor Kidnapper Coaxes 12-Year-Old Into His Car, Sexually Assaults Her At His NJ Home: Prosecutor
Kidnapper Coaxes 12-Year-Old Into His Car, Sexually Assaults Her At His NJ Home: Prosecutor A Union County driver coaxed a 12-year-old girl into his car while she was walking home from the movies in Essex County and sexually assaulted her at his home the following day, authorities said. Keith Ashley-Drake, 52, pulled over and convinced the Irvington girl to take a ride from him around 10 p.m. on March 17, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said. Ashley-Drake brought the girl to his home in Fanwood, and sexually assaulted her the following day, Daniel said. It wasn't immediately clear how the girl got away, however, an investigation launched March 24 identified Ashley-…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
Gunpoint Rapist Robbed, Kidnapped One Of His Saddle Brook Victims: Prosecutor Gunpoint Rapist Robbed, Kidnapped One Of His Saddle Brook Victims: Prosecutor
Gunpoint Rapist Robbed, Kidnapped One Of His Saddle Brook Victims: Prosecutor Authorities on Friday seized a former Montclair High School football star who they said kidnapped and robbed one of multiple rape victims at gunpoint in Saddle Brook. There may be other victims, they said. Fokam Parfait, a 25-year-old repeat offender, fled the kidnapping rape on a motorcycle last Friday, March 24, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said in announcing his arrest a week later. Investigators from his Special Victims Unit and Saddle Brook police found that Parfait had also sexually assaulted “multiple” victims while armed in the township. Parfait – who played safety and lin…

SHARE

by Jerry DeMarco