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Bail Reform Was Once This Bergen Serial Burglar's Friend — Not Anymore: Authorities Bail Reform Was Once This Bergen Serial Burglar's Friend — Not Anymore: Authorities
Bail Reform Was Once This Bergen Serial Burglar's Friend — Not Anymore: Authorities Charges continue to mount against a one-man crime wave – and onetime bail reform poster boy – whom judges have kept held in the Bergen County Jail since mid-October. Police in Glen Rock and Wyckoff became the latest to charge Nicola Torres, 40, of Passaic, with commercial burglaries in their towns. That makes more than a dozen municipal police departments in four New Jersey counties just this year alone. Torres has a criminal record that stretches back more than 15 years, mostly for business break-ins. More recently, the 6-foot-2-inch, 240-pound felon has been repeatedly arrested and the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies
Passaic County Man Convicted Of $80,000 Back-To-Back Bank Robberies A Passaic County man was convicted by a federal jury of robbing two area banks just weeks apart. Jurors found Jose Soto, 52, of Passaic guilty of robbing a PNC branch in Passaic of $35,000 and a Valley National Bank in Little Falls of $45,000 following a six-day trial in U.S. District Court in Newark. They also convicted Soto of conspiring with a Paterson man to commit the holdups and brandishing a firearm. Soto pointed a silver and black gun at customers and employees at the Main Street Valley National branch in Little Falls on Feb. 27, 2020, authorities said. His accomplice, Nicholas Or…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Bail Reform Poster Boy Wanted On Warrants Out Of Eight North Jersey Towns Nabbed By Maywood PD Bail Reform Poster Boy Wanted On Warrants Out Of Eight North Jersey Towns Nabbed By Maywood PD
Bail Reform Poster Boy Wanted On Warrants Out Of Eight North Jersey Towns Nabbed By Maywood PD A serial burglar wanted on warrants out of no fewer than eight towns in four counties was captured by Maywood police and charged with a break-in at a local dry cleaner. Nicolas G. Torres, 40, of Passaic, has been repeatedly arrested and then subsequently released under New Jersey’s 2017 bail reform law, mostly on commercial burglary charges, over the past several years, records show. His criminal record stretches back more than a decade before that, however. Earlier this year, Torres was linked to break-ins at businesses in Fort Lee, Leonia, Englewood Cliffs, Little Falls, Montclair, Ridg…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
NJ's David Blaine Doesn't Flinch Eating Carolina Reapers On 'Hot Ones' NJ's David Blaine Doesn't Flinch Eating Carolina Reapers On 'Hot Ones'
NJ's David Blaine Doesn't Flinch Eating Carolina Reapers On 'Hot Ones' David Blaine either has an extremely high threshold for pain, or he can simply compartmentalize it. The former New Jersey resident and endurance artist who's broken multiple world records didn't flinch chewing up a Carolina Reaper on a recent episode of "Hot Ones." Sean Evans and David Blaine prepare to eat Carolina Reapers.First We Feast Sean Evans and David Blaine right after downing a pair of Carolina Reapers.First We Feast Blaine, 49 — who lived in Little Falls as a teen and attended Passaic Valley Regional High School — answered a series of questions while eating progressively …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Celebration Of Life For Beloved North Jersey Educator Will Be Livestreamed Celebration Of Life For Beloved North Jersey Educator Will Be Livestreamed
Celebration Of Life For Beloved North Jersey Educator Will Be Livestreamed A celebration of life for career North Jersey educator Michael Carlucci will be live-streamed later this week to what's expected to be an enormous audience. The beloved 57-year-old father of three from Verona had been swimming with his wife, Jeanene, and others on Saturday when he apparently was caught in a rip current generated by Hurricane Earl. His body was recovered after a 45-minute search. Carlucci’s funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. this Friday, Sept. 16, at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit (36 Gould Street, Verona), where he was an active parishioner. MAP: Episcopal …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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WILD CHASE: Masked Carjackers Ram Police Cruiser, Civilian Vehicles On Route 46 WILD CHASE: Masked Carjackers Ram Police Cruiser, Civilian Vehicles On Route 46
Wild Chase: Masked Carjackers Ram Police Cruiser, Civilian Vehicles On Route 46 Three carjackers were captured following a wild chase in which they rammed a Wayne police cruiser and several civilian vehicles on Route 46, authorities said. It began shortly after Montville police issued an alert for two vehicles, one of which had just been taken by thieves in ski masks, shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27. A short time later, the masked bandits approached a Porsche at the Starbucks on Route 23 just south of the "spaghetti bowl" intersection in Wayne near Willowbrook Mall, Wayne Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. They abandoned their attempt after discovering it occupied,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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UPDATE: Passaic County High School Classmates Killed In Crash Involving Third Student UPDATE: Passaic County High School Classmates Killed In Crash Involving Third Student
Update: Passaic County High School Classmates Killed In Crash Involving Third Student Two former Passaic County high school classmates were killed in a horrific crash involving a fellow student, authorities said. Shahriyar Ahmed and Shakeel Ali, both 19 of Paterson, were killed in the collision in front of Gaita Memorial Funeral Home on Newark Pompton (Route 23) in Little Falls shortly after 10:30 p.m. Friday. Both were passengers in a Mercedes C300 sedan with three other people that was T-boned by a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Jason Zaitoun, 18, of Wayne, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Deputy Chief Brian Prall said Saturday. The impact knocked the Merce…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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HEROES: Trapped Trucker Rescued By Two Towing Operators (VIDEO) HEROES: Trapped Trucker Rescued By Two Towing Operators (VIDEO)
Heroes: Trapped Trucker Rescued By Two Towing Operators (Video) Two tow truck operators came to the rescue of a dump truck driver who was trapped when his rig rolled during the morning rush on Route 46. Edward Spina Jr. from ECRB Towing & Recovery in Bloomfield and JT Sagun from Nick’s Towing Service in Rutherford were both headed to work when the trucker's brakes locked up ahead of them around 7:45 a.m. Friday. The tri-axle vehicle loaded with fill tipped onto the driver's side in the eastbound fast lane at the Totowa/Little Falls border just past the McBride Avenue exit. Spina was driving a wrecker with a dash cam that recorded the accident. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
MORNING MESS: Dump Truck Tips On Route 46 MORNING MESS: Dump Truck Tips On Route 46
Morning Mess: Dump Truck Tips On Route 46 Two tow truck operators came to rescue of a dump truck driver who was trapped when his rig rolled during the morning rush on Route 46. Edward Spina Jr. from ECRB Towing & Recovery in Bloomfield and JT Sagun from Nick’s Towing Service in Rutherford were both headed to work when the trucker's brakes locked up ahead of them around 7:45 a.m. Friday. The tri-axle vehicle loaded with fill tipped onto the driver's side in the eastbound fast lane at the Totowa/Little Falls border just past the McBride Avenue exit. Spina was driving a wrecker with a dash cam that recorded the accident. “The …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police Clarify Incident At Route 46 Gas Station Police Clarify Incident At Route 46 Gas Station
Police Clarify Incident At Route 46 Gas Station UPDATE: Police said a man robbed another after both arrived at a Route 46 gas station together. Little Falls officers and detectives responded to the Valero station after the victim phoned in a reported robbery shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, Detective Lt. Rober Prall said. They "determined that the incident occurred between two men who arrived together at the gas station to buy fuel," Prall said. A previous report said the gas station had been robbed when it hadn't, the lieutenant said. The actual incident, which he didn't describe in any detail, occurred in the parking lot, Prall said, …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
47 Guests Seized As Wayne Police Pull Plug On Illegal Pop-Up Party 47 Guests Seized As Wayne Police Pull Plug On Illegal Pop-Up Party
47 Guests Seized As Wayne Police Pull Plug On Illegal Pop-Up Party An illegal pop-up party in Wayne was beginning to heat up when an army of police suddenly burst in. A total of 47 party-goers were temporarily taken into custody after New Jersey State Police spotted advertisements posted by the organizers on social media and tipped off Wayne Police Chief Jack McNiff. Nearly 500 guests were expected at the Saturday night bash in a vacant commercial building near the Willowbrook Mall, but police pulled the plug before that could happen, Detective Capt. Dan Daly said. Detectives who had eyes on the building before the scheduled start time watched several p…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Popular Ice Cream Spots In North Jersey For A Tasty Cool Down Popular Ice Cream Spots In North Jersey For A Tasty Cool Down
Popular Ice Cream Spots In North Jersey For A Tasty Cool Down We've got a scorcher of a weekend ahead of us. Why not a tasty treat to cool down? Here are some of the most popular ice cream spots in North Jersey. The sampling of spots below were top-rated on several user-generated review sites, featured in local publications and recommended by Daily Voice readers. Applegate Farm Homemade Ice Cream, Montclair View this post on Instagram A post shared by Applegate Ice Cream (@applegatefarmic) Cliff’s Homemade Ice Cream, Ledgewood Conrad’s Confectionary, Westwood Denville Dairy, Denville Falls Creamery,…

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by Cecilia Levine