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Police & Fire
BREAK IN, RINSE, REPEAT: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns BREAK IN, RINSE, REPEAT: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns
Break IN, Rinse, Repeat: Recidivist With 30-Year Sheet Busted For Burglaries In 4 Bergen Towns It never ends with some guys. Mark C. Todd, most recently of Hasbrouck Heights, just turned 50 amid what has been a three-decade-long string of burglaries, thefts and police pursuits in nearly a dozen Bergen County towns. It got to the point that detectives from Maywood, Carlstadt and Hasbrouck Heights all went together to arrest the ex-con at his home last Friday morning, April 12. He was charged with break-ins in Maywood, Carlstadt, Elmwood Park and Fair Lawn. Tood has remained held in the Bergen County Jail this past week based on the likelihood that he’ll be returned to prison. He sp…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Obituaries
Lauren Brecher, Oakland Native, Longtime Teacher, Dies At 50 Lauren Brecher, Oakland Native, Longtime Teacher, Dies At 50
Lauren Brecher, Oakland Native, Longtime Teacher, Dies At 50 Lauren Brecher died on Friday, April 12 at Morristown Medical Center at the age of 50 after battling cancer, according to her obituary. Born in Massachusetts, she grew up in Oakland in Bergen County before moving to Lake Hiawatha in 1996, her obituary reads. Brecher was a longtime teacher at Suburban Hills School in Chester and later taught OLPH Early Childhood Center in Oakland, her obituary reads. I met Lauren in 10th grade gym class; she was a junior. We had exercise aerobics and we hid in the back both lazy and I... Posted by Deborah Butturini on Monday, April 15, 2024 "Those w…

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by Sam Barron
Real Estate
Sweet Escape: $1.499M Home With Sauna, Pool, Gazebo For Sale In Bergen County (PHOTOS) Sweet Escape: $1.499M Home With Sauna, Pool, Gazebo For Sale In Bergen County (PHOTOS)
Sweet Escape: $1.499M Home With Sauna, Pool, Gazebo For Sale In Bergen County (Photos) A Bergen County home with ample opportunity for relaxation is on the market for just under $1.5 million. Located at 59 Tam O Shanter Dr. in Mahwah, the home spans 5,795 square feet and boasts 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms. Roi Klipper of Corcoran Infinity Properties is the listing agent. According to the listing, the house was designed for socializing with a great room located in the heart of the home. It features soaring ceilings and large windows, perfect for formal dinners or cozy evenings by the fireplace, the listing reads. The second floor is rounded out by four bedrooms includ…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun
Wanted Driver Crashes Off Route 17, Subdued After Grabbing Mahwah Officer's Gun A fugitive who'd just crashed a car off Route 17 shouted at pursuing Mahwah police to shoot him, then grabbed at an officer's gun and bit him while being handcuffed Thursday morning, authorities said. Officer Christopher Lupo tried to stop Miles Harris, 32, of Newark for several violations on the southbound highway around 10:45 a.m. March 28, Lt. Michael Blondin said. Officer Nick Williams joined Lupo as the sedan exited the highway and fled onto Myrtle Avenue in Ramsey, the lieutenant said. It slammed into a tree moments later. Harris bailed out and ran behind some area businesses, Blond…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
GOTCHA: Ex-BF Accused Of Swindling $71K From Local Realtor Lodged In Bergen County Jail GOTCHA: Ex-BF Accused Of Swindling $71K From Local Realtor Lodged In Bergen County Jail
Gotcha: Ex-BF Accused Of Swindling $71K From Local Realtor Lodged In Bergen County Jail Christina LaBarbiera says four months is way too long — but it's something. Last November, she filed a lawsuit accusing Robert D. Harris of swindling more than $71,000 from her in the months after they matched on the dating app Hinge. On Monday, March 18, LaBarbiera says she got the call from police she has been waiting for: Harris surrendered, she said. Records show 30-year-old Harris was lodged in the Bergen County Jail on March 18, and is facing two counts of credit card theft and one count of theft by unlawful taking/disposition moveable property. "I'm just looking forward to the just…

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by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
Ava Rasmussen, Former Mahwah HS Cheerleader, Dies At 18: 'Our Hearts Are Shattered' Ava Rasmussen, Former Mahwah HS Cheerleader, Dies At 18: 'Our Hearts Are Shattered'
Ava Rasmussen, Former Mahwah HS Cheerleader, Dies At 18: 'Our Hearts Are Shattered' Ava Rasmussen, who graduated Mahwah High School last year, died on Wednesday, March 13. Ava, an active member of the school's cheerleading team and student government, died of cancer at the age of 18. Ava Rasmussen GoFundMe photo A truly sad day for our entire Mahwah community. Bright lights never get extinguished. They sometimes just need to fly... Posted by Jonathan N. Marcus on Thursday, March 14, 2024 "Ava has made a lasting impact on everyone who she came across," Superintendent Dr. Michael DeTuro said, noting counseling is available at the school to support students…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
High Winds Knock Tree Onto Car In Upper Saddle River, Trap Female Driver From NYS High Winds Knock Tree Onto Car In Upper Saddle River, Trap Female Driver From NYS
High Winds Knock Tree Onto Car In Upper Saddle River, Trap Female Driver From NYS A 45-year-old driver from New York escaped serious injury when Monday's high winds knocked a tree onto her sedan near the state line in Upper Saddle River. Firefighters from Upper Saddle River and Mahwah freed the alert trapped motorist from the 2023 Toyota Corolla following the 2:10 p.m. March 11 crash on Weiss Road at Maple Road, Police Capt. Edward Kane said. They not only had to deal with the tree but also live power lines that had fallen around it, the captain said. Members of Hatzoloh EMS who assisted took Hackensack Medical Center with what were believed to be minor injuries, he s…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: SWAT Standoff In Mahwah Ends Quickly, Peacefully UPDATE: SWAT Standoff In Mahwah Ends Quickly, Peacefully
Update: SWAT Standoff In Mahwah Ends Quickly, Peacefully 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 (𝘄/𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢𝗦): A brief standoff in Mahwah ended peacefully when a barricaded man emerged from his home and surrendered to police. The immediate neighborhood had been cleared and streets closed off Campgaw Road near Campgaw Mountain and Darlington County Park after tactical officers and other law enforcers converged on the area early Friday afternoon, March 8. A Bergen County Regional SWAT team and negotiators joined Mahwah officers and their police colleagues from surrounding towns who established a perimeter around the house. A colleague from one of the retired resident's former jobs …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Mahwah Man Charged With Physically Abusing Pre-Teen Mahwah Man Charged With Physically Abusing Pre-Teen
Mahwah Man Charged With Physically Abusing Pre-Teen A medical assistant who lives in Mahwah was jailed after authorities said he physically abused a preteen. Martino Desir, 37, was arrested on Monday, March 4, following a call from the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency that he “physically abused a child under the age of 13,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The prosecutor didn’t elaborate. Desir was charged with child endangerment and sent to the Bergen County Jail, where he remained on Tuesday pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack. Desir -- who's listed in jail records as …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Animal Control Officer Left Dog To Die In Kennel Dumpster: Mahwah PD Animal Control Officer Left Dog To Die In Kennel Dumpster: Mahwah PD
Animal Control Officer Left Dog To Die In Kennel Dumpster: Mahwah PD An animal control officer for several New Jersey towns was arrested after leaving a dog to die in a Dumpster at a kennel he owns and operates in Mahwah, township police said. Authorities took Richard A. DuBarton III, 57, into custody and removed 47 malnourished and severely weakened dogs from the Aranwood Kennels after finding them locked outside in freezing temperatures, a Mahwah police complaint says. They'd been left in dog runs "with feces and urine that [DuBarton] failed to clean up," according to the complaint filed in Superior Court in Hackensack. "Multiple dogs were seen shiver…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
RECOGNIZE THEM? Women Enter Hindu Priest's Mahwah Home While Young Daughter Is There RECOGNIZE THEM? Women Enter Hindu Priest's Mahwah Home While Young Daughter Is There
Recognize Them? Women Enter Hindu Priest's Mahwah Home While Young Daughter Is There Authorities were searching for two uninvited strangers who reportedly entered the home of a Hindu priest in Mahwah but were scared off. Pandit Devendra Shukla was at the Samaj Temple and his wife and daughter at their West Ramapo Avenue home nearby when a black SUV parked out front this past weekend. A Ring doorbell camera shows a woman in a COVID mask walking up to the front door, knocking hard twice, then peering into a window. The woman then heads back to the car and returns with a second woman. The second one, also wearing a mask with a large scarf wrapped around her head and neck, pu…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
WILD CHASE: Career Offender, 62, In Multi-Town Police Pursuit Caught After Blowing Two Tires WILD CHASE: Career Offender, 62, In Multi-Town Police Pursuit Caught After Blowing Two Tires
Wild Chase: Career Offender, 62, In Multi-Town Police Pursuit Caught After Blowing Two Tires A wild police pursuit through several Bergen County towns ended with the arrest of a 62-year-old former repeat offender from Fair Lawn who authorities said stole the car from Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Daniel McKay at one point tried fleeing on two flat tires before the stolen sedan broke down and he was arrested on Franklin Turnpike in Allendale, witnesses said. Upper Saddle River Detective Capt. Edward Kane said the Valentine's Day pursuit began after McKay pulled over on Lake Street and asked officers out on another call for directions shortly before noon. One of the officer…

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by Jerry DeMarco