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Police & Fire
THIS SUNDAY: Pink Heals Rallies First Responders For Special Waldwick, Cliffside Park Boys THIS SUNDAY: Pink Heals Rallies First Responders For Special Waldwick, Cliffside Park Boys
This Sunday: Pink Heals Rallies First Responders For Special Waldwick, Cliffside Park Boys Two special young boys will be treated to a parade of first responders this Sunday in Waldwick, thanks to Pink Heals of Bergen County. Both Cole McKeon of Waldwick and Austin “AJ” Katchen of Cliffside Park were diagnosed months apart last year with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that attacks certain types of nerve tissue. Before his first birthday, AJ had successful tumor resection surgery, the first of several operations. He’s also undergone chemotherapy that kept him hospitalized several months. Doctors declared AJ in remission last summer, but his immunotherapy and radiation t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SEEN HER? Fort Lee Woman, 66, Last Seen In Manhattan SEEN HER? Fort Lee Woman, 66, Last Seen In Manhattan
Seen HER? Fort Lee Woman, 66, Last Seen In Manhattan Fort Lee police reported a 66-year-old borough woman missing. Esmin L. Rose was last seen at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in Washington Heights at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, they said. She is 5-foot-4 and 186 pounds and was wearing the same clothing as in the left-side photo above, authorities said. Anyone who sees Rose or knows where to find her is asked to call Fort Lee PD: (201) 592-3524. ‬

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Chief For A Day (PHOTOS): Bergen Sheriff, Local Police Bring Joy To Ailing Youngsters Chief For A Day (PHOTOS): Bergen Sheriff, Local Police Bring Joy To Ailing Youngsters
Chief For A Day (Photos): Bergen Sheriff, Local Police Bring Joy To Ailing Youngsters Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton and members of his office joined with local and county law enforcement agencies Friday to host the annual Bergen County "Chief For a Day" celebration. "Chief for A Day" is an inspirational program that offers local children with chronic health conditions and special needs a behind-the-scenes look at law enforcement. Participating agencies planned local community activities, followed by a group photo at the Bergen County Courthouse, a joint motorcade ride, and a presentation lunch at the Venetian Catering Hall in Garfield. Youngsters included A.J. Vigl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SEEN HIM? Fort Lee PD Seeks Public Help Finding Resident, 87 SEEN HIM? Fort Lee PD Seeks Public Help Finding Resident, 87
Seen HIM? Fort Lee PD Seeks Public Help Finding Resident, 87 Fort Lee police sought the public's help finding an 87-year-old borough man who was reported missing Friday morning. Won Kim was last seen at 9:30 a.m., they said. He's 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds and was wearing a blue fleece jacket and blue jeans. Anyone who sees Kim is asked to call Fort Lee police: (201) 592-3524. ‬

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
New Fort Lee Police Chief Brings Extensive Experience, Communication Skills New Fort Lee Police Chief Brings Extensive Experience, Communication Skills
New Fort Lee Police Chief Brings Extensive Experience, Communication Skills It’s official: Fort Lee Police Capt. Matthew J. Hintze is becoming the borough's top cop. A Fort Lee native who attended borough public schools, Hintze replaces outgoing chief Keith Bendul on June 1, Mayor Mark Sokolich announced Thursday night. Hintze was an excellent choice, the mayor said, because “he has spent many years in management roles in the department and was already a well-known leader in the community.” The 17-year department veteran is also a borough firefighter and a lifetime ambulance corps member. Hintze has held several supervisory positions in law enforcement. As capta…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Aid Arranged For Fort Lee Fire Victims, Police Say Blaze Didn't Seem Suspicious UPDATE: Aid Arranged For Fort Lee Fire Victims, Police Say Blaze Didn't Seem Suspicious
Update: Aid Arranged For Fort Lee Fire Victims, Police Say Blaze Didn't Seem Suspicious UPDATE: A fire that began in a crawl space and eventually destroyed a Fort Lee apartment building Thursday night didn’t claim any lives, produced three minor injuries and didn’t appear suspicious, authorities announced. Several measures were being taken to assist the victims, they said. “The Red Cross, New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management and Fort Lee Office of Emergency Management are working together with other borough departments to provide assistance for the displaced residents,” Police Capt. Matthew Hintze said late Friday afternoon. The borough established an offici…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Teen Sex-Trafficking Couple Caught In Fort Lee Accept Plea Deals From Government Teen Sex-Trafficking Couple Caught In Fort Lee Accept Plea Deals From Government
Teen Sex-Trafficking Couple Caught In Fort Lee Accept Plea Deals From Government A Bronx couple caught at a Fort Lee hotel while trafficking an underage girl for sex took guilty pleas in federal court on Thursday. Richard “Ace” Ortiz, 23, and Gabriella Colon, 19, would have both faced life imprisonment if convicted at trial following Thursday’s please in U.S. District Court in Trenton, authorities said. Their prison sentences nonetheless will be significant -- and must be served entirely (There's no parole in the federal prison system). Ortiz and Colon forced the 17-year-old Lancaster, PA girl to have sex with several men at an East Brunswick hotel throughout the month…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Kidnapped, Sexually Abused Woman Flees To Fort Lee Gas Station, Police Nab Ex-Boyfriend Kidnapped, Sexually Abused Woman Flees To Fort Lee Gas Station, Police Nab Ex-Boyfriend
Kidnapped, Sexually Abused Woman Flees To Fort Lee Gas Station, Police Nab Ex-Boyfriend A woman who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and beaten by her ex-boyfriend escaped, got to a Fort Lee gas station and called police, who captured him moments later, authorities said. Englewood police assisted in nabbing Harrideo Persaud, a 59-year-old truck driver from South Richmond Hill, Queens, following Sunday afternoon’s attack, Capt. Matthew Hintze said Wednesday. The woman told police that Persaud “contacted her to assist him with picking up a vehicle in New Jersey,” Hintze said. On their way there, he said, Persaud “held the victim against her will and sexually assaulted her…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Reported $10,000 In Merchandise Taken In Fort Lee AT&T Store Smash And Grab Reported $10,000 In Merchandise Taken In Fort Lee AT&T Store Smash And Grab
Reported $10,000 In Merchandise Taken In Fort Lee AT&T Store Smash And Grab Fort Lee police said owners of a burglarized AT&T store were still tabulating the value of stolen items while a search for whoever was responsible continues. Sources put the value around $10,000. Police Capt. Matthew Hinze said police found the front glass door shattered and items missing after responding to an active alarm at the Lemoine Avenue store. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification collected evidence, while Fort Lee detectives asked area merchants to check their surveillance cameras. Anyone who might have seen something or has information that could…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Female Pedestrian, 61, Killed In Fort Lee, Fleeing Driver Caught Female Pedestrian, 61, Killed In Fort Lee, Fleeing Driver Caught
Female Pedestrian, 61, Killed In Fort Lee, Fleeing Driver Caught Authorities took a fleeing driver into custody Wednesday night a short time after a 61-year-old woman was struck and killed in Fort Lee, authorities confirmed. ** UPDATE: A 70-year-old Fort Lee woman was charged in the hit-and-run death of a female pedestrian Wednesday ** The victim "was struck by a westbound box truck, then struck again by an eastbound Mercedes-Benz SUV" on Main Street near Jones Road just off Route 46, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said. "The box truck remained on the scene, but the Mercedes-Benz fled the area." Detectives from Calo's Fatal Accident Investi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Serial Robber Who Held Up Fort Lee, Hasbrouck Heights Banks, Targeted Englewood, Gets 5 Years Serial Robber Who Held Up Fort Lee, Hasbrouck Heights Banks, Targeted Englewood, Gets 5 Years
Serial Robber Who Held Up Fort Lee, Hasbrouck Heights Banks, Targeted Englewood, Gets 5 Years A serial bank robber from the Bronx was sentenced to five years in federal prison Tuesday for holding up banks in Fort Lee and Hasbrouck Heights and planning to hit another in Englewood before federal agents nabbed him. Eddy Cruz, 42, must serve out the entire sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Cruz admitted in August that he robbed a TD Bank branch in Fort Lee on Feb. 13, 2017 and another in Hasbrouck Heights five days later, wearing a mask to disguise his identity both times and handing the tellers notes demanding cash. He said he also robbed a PNC Bank…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Blame Key Fobs: Fort Lee PD Nabs Seven Teens In 17 Vehicle Burglaries, Four Auto Thefts Blame Key Fobs: Fort Lee PD Nabs Seven Teens In 17 Vehicle Burglaries, Four Auto Thefts
Blame Key Fobs: Fort Lee PD Nabs Seven Teens In 17 Vehicle Burglaries, Four Auto Thefts Fort Lee police cracked a rash of vehicle burglaries and thefts by seizing seven Hudson County teens – three of them 16 and one 15, authorities said Tuesday. A total of 17 break-ins and four outright thefts of automobiles were reported over a 10-day span in August in Fort Lee alone, Capt. Matthew Hintze said, adding that others were reported in neighboring Cliffside Park, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park and Leonia. Blame key fobs, he said. “Although this technology has added a level of convenience, it has also created opportunities for criminals to burglarize and steal vehicles without hav…

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by Jerry DeMarco