Light Drizzle Fog/Mist 38°
Police & Fire
Bergen Hebrew School, Mercer House Of Worship Among 200 Targets Of Swatting, Bomb Threats In US Bergen Hebrew School, Mercer House Of Worship Among 200 Targets Of Swatting, Bomb Threats In US
Bergen Hebrew School, Mercer House Of Worship Among 200 Targets Of Swatting, Bomb Threats In US UPDATE: A Hebrew school in Bergen County and a house of worship in Mercer were among nearly 200 Jewish targets of bogus bomb threats and swatting incidents across the country, law enforcement officials reported. In just 24 hours over this past weekend, 199 bogus bomb and swatting threats were delivered from one coast to the other, according to the Secure Community Network, a nonprofit that monitors antisemitic threats and coordinates security for Jewish institutions nationwide. It was shortly before 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, when Barnert Temple on southbound Route 208 in Franklin Lakes rece…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Popular Bergen County Cafe Relocates After 20 Years: 'I Wasn't Ready To Be Done' Popular Bergen County Cafe Relocates After 20 Years: 'I Wasn't Ready To Be Done'
Popular Bergen County Cafe Relocates After 20 Years: 'I Wasn't Ready To Be Done' Exactly 20 years ago, Gail Corbo bought Country Cafe. Well, back then it was called Franklin Lakes Deli. It was on Pulis Avenue in Franklin Lakes, and Corbo had been working there since her teens. "It had a hometown feel," Corbo, of Mahwah, tells Daily Voice. "The nice part for me was that when I was working there in high school, I had people bringing their kids in, and then those people started bringing their kids in." Corbo says, "It was a fun little spot in Franklin Lakes that a lot of kids grew up on." And so, when Country Cafe lost its lease in July 2023, Corbo was heartbroken. Sayin…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
UPDATE: 87-Year-Old Bergen Man Stabbed, Bludgeoned, Drowned By Son, Police Charge UPDATE: 87-Year-Old Bergen Man Stabbed, Bludgeoned, Drowned By Son, Police Charge
Update: 87-Year-Old Bergen Man Stabbed, Bludgeoned, Drowned By Son, Police Charge UPDATE: An unemployed Franklin Lakes man stabbed, bludgeoned and drowned his 87-year-old father in their home, then went to the police station to confess to the murder, according to a report outlining the horrific assault. David Allen Hagal, 60, was charged with murder and illegal weapons possession in the brutal murder of his 87-year-old father. Borough police rushed to the home, found the body of George J. Hagal and took David Allen Hagal, 60, into custody shortly after 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. The younger Hagal hit his father in the head with a metal pipe and stabbed him multiple…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Murder In Franklin Lakes: Son Charged With Killing 87-Year-Old Father, Multiple Weapons Seized Murder In Franklin Lakes: Son Charged With Killing 87-Year-Old Father, Multiple Weapons Seized
Murder In Franklin Lakes: Son Charged With Killing 87-Year-Old Father, Multiple Weapons Seized UPDATE: An unemployed Franklin Lakes man stabbed, bludgeoned and drowned his 87-year-old father in their home, then went to the police station to confess to the murder, according to a report outlining the horrific assault. David Allen Hagal, 60, was charged with murder and illegal weapons possession in the brutal murder of his 87-year-old father. Borough police rushed to the home, found the body of George J. Hagal and took David Allen Hagal, 60, into custody shortly after 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. The younger Hagal hit his father in the head with a metal pipe and stabbed him multiple…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Murder In Franklin Lakes: Son Charged With Killing 87-Year-Old Father Murder In Franklin Lakes: Son Charged With Killing 87-Year-Old Father
Murder In Franklin Lakes: Son Charged With Killing 87-Year-Old Father UPDATE: An unemployed Franklin Lakes man stabbed, bludgeoned and drowned his 87-year-old father in their home, then went to the police station to confess to the murder, according to a report outlining the horrific assault. David Allen Hagal, 60, was charged with murder and illegal weapons possession in the brutal murder of his 87-year-old father. Borough police rushed to the home, found the body of George J. Hagal and took David Allen Hagal, 60, into custody shortly after 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. The younger Hagal hit his father in the head with a metal pipe and stabbed him multiple…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
K9 Calendar Features Airport Bomb Dog Named For Ridgewood, NJ Woman Who Died In 9/11 Attack K9 Calendar Features Airport Bomb Dog Named For Ridgewood, NJ Woman Who Died In 9/11 Attack
K9 Calendar Features Airport Bomb Dog Named For Ridgewood, NJ Woman Who Died In 9/11 Attack A bomb dog named for a Bergen County woman who was among those slain at the World Trade Center in the 9/11 terror attacks is featured in the new 2024 monthly calendar produced by the federal Transportation Security Administration. Gina-Gina is a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois who works with her handler, Julie Guevara, at LaGuardia Airport. She was named after Gina Sztejnberg, 52, of Ridgewood, who worked as a database architect consultant for Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. on the 96th floor of the North Tower. Guevara has a special connection to that fateful day. She was among the New York F…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wyckoff Woman, 79, Who Died In House Fire Identified Wyckoff Woman, 79, Who Died In House Fire Identified
Wyckoff Woman, 79, Who Died In House Fire Identified UPDATE: Virginia D'Amelio Ingenito of Wyckoff was home alone Sunday afternoon when what quickly became an intense fire apparently began in her kitchen. Wyckoff police who arrived first at the Meer Avenue home where she lived with her son and two grandsons found the 79-year-old Italian immigrant unresponsive just after noon Nov. 5, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Ingenito was in cardiac arrest when taken to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, where she was pronounced dead a short time later, responders said. The rear of the house, where the kitchen was located, was fully involved…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
One Dead In Wyckoff House Fire One Dead In Wyckoff House Fire
One Dead In Wyckoff House Fire A grandmother who was pulled from a Wyckoff house fire on Sunday died at the hospital, authorities confirmed. Virginia D'Amelio Ingenito, 79, was found unresponsive by Wyckoff police officers who were the first responders at the fire on Meer Avenue just off James Way behind Route 208 just after noon Nov. 5, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. CPR was conducted on Ingenito, who reportedly was in cardiac arrest when she was taken to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. Firefighters found the rear of the house, where the kitchen was loca…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Route 208 Dump Truck Fire Doused Route 208 Dump Truck Fire Doused
Route 208 Dump Truck Fire Doused Franklin Lakes firefighters doused a dump truck blaze on Route 208. The driver of the mason dump truck got out in time before the engine and cab became fully engulfed in flames on the northbound highway near Colonial Road shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. Borough police also responded.  Traffic was briefly disrupted. CONTRIBUTED (Anonymous) CONTRIBUTED (Anonymous)

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by Jerry DeMarco
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