Tag:

Westwood, NJ

Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM
Ex-Con Charged By FBI With Igniting Explosive Outside Passaic County ATM A career criminal from Passaic County who's been busted dozens of times in North Jersey in just the past few years used an explosive device to damage an ATM, federal authorities charged. Nicolas Torres, 41, of Passaic, has amassed a lengthy rap sheet over much of his adult life, mostly involving business break-ins that local police and county prosecutors have dealt with. This time, though, the FBI's got him. Torres was captured on surveillance video igniting the device in front of the Chase Bank ATM on North 6th Street in Prospect Park in the early morning hours of July 5, 2022, U.S. Attor…
Hudson County Favorite Son Bobby Cannavale Praised In Garden State-Centric Dramedy 'Ezra' Hudson County Favorite Son Bobby Cannavale Praised In Garden State-Centric Dramedy 'Ezra'
Hudson County Favorite Son Bobby Cannavale Praised In Garden State-Centric Dramedy 'Ezra' Actor Bobby Cannavale has a heartwarming New Jersey-based film premiering this spring that those who've seen it predict could be one of his best. In "Ezra," the pride of Hudson County plays Max, a stand-up comedian from the Garden State who lives with his father, portrayed by Robert De Niro. Max pursues his career while trying to co-parent his 11-year-old son with ex-wife (and Cannavale's real-life partner) Rose Byrne. Max lands a gig on Jimmy Kimmel's show in Hollywood, but the plane fare isn't comped. So he and young Ezra -- who has autism -- embark on a life-changing cross-country trip …
Man Charged With Killing NJ High Schooler With Fentanyl-Laced Pill Man Charged With Killing NJ High Schooler With Fentanyl-Laced Pill
Man Charged With Killing NJ High Schooler With Fentanyl-Laced Pill 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 17-year-old Park Ridge boy was killed by a single imitation painkiller laced with fentanyl that was given to him by a Westwood man who's been charged with causing his death. The boy thought he was taking an Oxycontin pill before he overdosed last Sept. 14, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Officers who responded to the emergency call administered Narcan, among other life-saving measures, the prosecutor said. The high school senior was pronounced dead a short time later. Detectives from the prosecutor’s Narcotic Task Force determined during a six-month investigatio…
Hospital ERs in Bergen, Montclair Closed By Nationwide Ransomware Attack Hospital ERs in Bergen, Montclair Closed By Nationwide Ransomware Attack
Hospital ERs in Bergen, Montclair Closed By Nationwide Ransomware Attack The latest in a continuing series of nationwide ransomware attacks closed two hospital emergency rooms in New Jersey. Authorities haven't disclosed what's been demanded by the cybercriminals who forced ambulances to divert to other hospitals from Pascack Valey Medical Center in Westwood and Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair beginning on Thanksgiving evening. Lab work, radiology, scheduling, billing -- basically anything involving computer software -- apparently were affected. "No one can use the computers in the buildings," a source said. "The hospitals are doing everything by paper…
Daughter Of Late Combat Vet Jailed For Death Threats To Public Officials: NJ State Police Daughter Of Late Combat Vet Jailed For Death Threats To Public Officials: NJ State Police
Daughter Of Late Combat Vet Jailed For Death Threats To Public Officials: NJ State Police A grieving naval officer’s daughter from Bergen County who’s been involved in a court battle with the local veterans home made what New Jersey State Police allege were credible threats against two public officials following her father’s death. Amy Johnson, 54, of Westwood, had initially “voiced her dissatisfaction with the court’s decision" over a power-of-attorney request, says a State Police complaint filed in Superior Court in Hackensack. She initially left email and voice messages that the NJSP said mentioned two public officials by name and were “concerning, harassing and threatening i…
NJ Man, 76, Jailed On Disturbing Human Remains Charges After Sister, 70, Is Found Dead NJ Man, 76, Jailed On Disturbing Human Remains Charges After Sister, 70, Is Found Dead
NJ Man, 76, Jailed On Disturbing Human Remains Charges After Sister, 70, Is Found Dead UPDATE: The 76-year-old brother of a Westwood woman whose body was found at least a week after she died was arrested on related charges. Joan Winter, 70, formerly of Yonkers and Hartsdale, NY, and her brother Mark, 76, had lived together for several years in what had been their late mother's Kennedy Terrace home on a quiet cul-de-sac near Washington Avenue, those who knew them said. Two friends who’d gone to the house looking for Joan said Mark told them she’d gone, a source with direct knowledge of the discovery said. Westwood police went to the home to conduct a welfare check around 1 p.…
GRISLY FIND: NJ Woman, 70, Dead In Bed Over A Week, Brother Questioned: Responders GRISLY FIND: NJ Woman, 70, Dead In Bed Over A Week, Brother Questioned: Responders
Grisly Find: NJ Woman, 70, Dead In Bed Over A Week, Brother Questioned: Responders UPDATE: The 76-year-old brother of a Westwood woman whose body was found at least a week after she died was arrested on related charges. Joan Winter, 70, formerly of Yonkers and Hartsdale, NY, and her brother Mark, 76, had lived together for several years in what had been their late mother's Kennedy Terrace home on a quiet cul-de-sac near Washington Avenue, those who knew them said. Two friends who’d gone to the house looking for Joan said Mark told them she’d gone, a source with direct knowledge of the discovery said. Westwood police went to the home to conduct a welfare check around 1 p…
Notorious NJ Serial Killer To Plead Guilty To Murders Of Five Long Island Women: Report Notorious NJ Serial Killer To Plead Guilty To Murders Of Five Long Island Women: Report
Notorious NJ Serial Killer To Plead Guilty To Murders Of Five Long Island Women: Report The number of brutal murder confessions continues to mount for imprisoned New Jersey serial killer Richard Cottingham, who reportedly is scheduled to plead guilty to five more killings, all of women on Long Island. Cottingham, now 76, has been serving multiple life sentences in South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, NJ, for more than four decades for killing six Garden State women between 1967 and 1980. He's spent a considerable part of that time lately claiming he's committed several other killings. “For a long time now I have been trying to understand the darkness that enveloped my soul…
'Loved By Many': Family Of NJ Man, 20, Killed In Tragic Manhattan Subway Accident 'Loved By Many': Family Of NJ Man, 20, Killed In Tragic Manhattan Subway Accident
'Loved By Many': Family Of NJ Man, 20, Killed In Tragic Manhattan Subway Accident Shock and sorrow spread with the news that a young Westwood man was accidentally dragged and killed by a subway train at the Columbus Circle station in Manhattan. Joseph Ancona, 20, apparently tried to board a southbound No. 1 train when his clothing got caught in a subway door at the station off 59th Street around 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, city police said. “The victim was then dragged and struck by [another] train,” the NYPD reported. Ancona was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. It wasn't clear whether the conductor was aware of what was happening or why the doors didn't automati…
North Jersey Man, 20, Dragged, Killed By Train In Manhattan Subway Station North Jersey Man, 20, Dragged, Killed By Train In Manhattan Subway Station
North Jersey Man, 20, Dragged, Killed By Train In Manhattan Subway Station Shock and sorrow spread with the news that a young Westwood man was accidentally dragged and killed by a subway train at the Columbus Circle station in Manhattan. Joseph Ancona, 20, apparently tried to board a southbound No. 1 train when his clothing got caught in a subway door at the station off 59th Street around 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, city police said. “The victim was then dragged and struck by [another] train,” the NYPD reported. Ancona was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. It wasn't clear whether the conductor was aware of what was happening or why the doors didn't automati…
Bail Reform Poster Boy Wanted On Warrants Out Of Eight North Jersey Towns Nabbed By Local PD Bail Reform Poster Boy Wanted On Warrants Out Of Eight North Jersey Towns Nabbed By Local PD
Bail Reform Poster Boy Wanted On Warrants Out Of Eight North Jersey Towns Nabbed By Local 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…
GOTCHA! Thieves Captured After Crashing Stolen Car Into Stopped Traffic At Routes 17 And 4 GOTCHA! Thieves Captured After Crashing Stolen Car Into Stopped Traffic At Routes 17 And 4
Gotcha! Thieves Captured After Crashing Stolen Car Into Stopped Traffic At Routes 17 And 4 Two out-of-state teens were captured after crashing a stolen car into two vehicles -- sending a driver to the hospital -- while trying to cross from one busy Paramus highway to another, authorities said. Parris Lamont Dennis, 18, of Jamaica, Queens, and Shahiem X. McCrimmon, 19, of the Bronx bailed out but were caught after bystanders advised police of their movements shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, They were taken into custody without incident, Paramus Deputy Police Chief Robert M. Guidetti said. A Saddle River police officer began chasing the 2019 Honda Civic with Vermont licens…
UPDATE: 'Popping Sounds' Heard During North Jersey Fire Not Ammo, Authorities Say UPDATE: 'Popping Sounds' Heard During North Jersey Fire Not Ammo, Authorities Say
Update: 'Popping Sounds' Heard During North Jersey Fire Not Ammo, Authorities Say Popping sounds heard during a fire involving two structures and multiple vehicles in Washington Township weren't from ammunition, as some neighbors and witnesses surmised, local authorities said. The Pascack Road homeowner was out when paint cans apparently combusted in what became an intense, three-alarm fire across the street from Memorial Field late Friday afternoon, they said. A shed and a vehicle apparently went up first, then an SUV that could be seen from the street, witnesses said. The fire then began burning up the house, they said. The shed was destroyed, the vehicles totaled an…
NJ Man Gets Federal Prison Time For Assisting Massage Parlor Prostitution NJ Man Gets Federal Prison Time For Assisting Massage Parlor Prostitution
NJ Man Gets Federal Prison Time For Assisting Massage Parlor Prostitution A former Bergen County resident must spend nearly three years in federal prison for producing bogus training certificates for massage parlors that sold sex. Naresh Rane, 68, gave 10 of those certificates to a former local councilman who was later found dead of suicide along with his wife, authorities said. Rane, formerly of Closter, owned and operated the now-defunct Axiom Healthcare Academy on Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen, which touted itself as a provider of massage therapy training. Anyone who didn't want to go through the training could pay Rane anywhere from $1,000 to $2,600 for …
NJ Family's Ice Cream Shop Expands With Third Location: Report NJ Family's Ice Cream Shop Expands With Third Location: Report
NJ Family's Ice Cream Shop Expands With Third Location: Report A family owned ice cream shop is expanding its footprint with a third North Jersey location, reports NJ Advance Media. Stack Creamery will be replacing Postmark at 48 Washington St. in Morristown, with a soft opening planned sometime this month. Stack Creamery's unique touch allows customers to choose from several ice cream flavors and toppings to build their own custom ice cream sandwich, and offers a multitude of ice cream-related baked goods. The flagship store for Stack Creamery is located in Westwood, while a second store opened last year in Jersey City.  To read the full r…
Notorious NJ Serial Killer Charged With Murder Of Dance Teacher At Popular Long Island Mall Notorious NJ Serial Killer Charged With Murder Of Dance Teacher At Popular Long Island Mall
Notorious NJ Serial Killer Charged With Murder Of Dance Teacher At Popular Long Island Mall Another female victim has been added to the list of imprisoned 75-year-old New Jersey serial killer Richard Cottingham, thanks to advances in DNA technology. Cottingham was arraigned on Long Island via videoconference Wednesday from South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton for the 1968 slaying of a New Hyde Park woman in the parking lot of the popular Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. He entered a not-guilty plea to murder charges in the death of Diane Cusick, a 23-year-old divorced single mom who worked as a dance instructor. Cottingham, a married father of three who’d lived in Lodi and wor…
Visitation, Funeral For Drowned North Jersey HS Student Comes Quickly Visitation, Funeral For Drowned North Jersey HS Student Comes Quickly
Visitation, Funeral For Drowned North Jersey HS Student Comes Quickly UPDATE: Visiting hours are scheduled from 4-8 p.m. Sunday followed by a 10 a.m. funeral service on Monday for an 18-year-old New Milford High School senior who drowned trying to help a group of local kids. Both the April 25 service and visitation for Clinten Ajit the day before are at St. Peter's Mar Thoma Church, 56 Ridgewood Road in Washington Township: (201) 837-2200. The service will be followed by interment in Westwood Cemetery, 23 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood: (201) 664-7161. Ajit was born in Niranam, Kerala, India on Jan. 22, 2004. He emigrated to the U.S. with his family in Septembe…
GoFundMe Established For Family Of Drowned North Jersey HS Student GoFundMe Established For Family Of Drowned North Jersey HS Student
GoFundMe Established For Family Of Drowned North Jersey HS Student UPDATE: Visiting hours are scheduled from 4-8 p.m. Sunday followed by a 10 a.m. funeral service on Monday for an 18-year-old New Milford High School senior who drowned trying to help a group of local kids. The April 25 service and visitation for Clinten Ajit the day before are both at St. Peter's Mar Thoma Church, 56 Ridgewood Road in Washington Township: (201) 837-2200. The service will be followed by interment in Westwood Cemetery, 23 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood: (201) 664-7161. Ajit was born in Niranam, Kerala, India on Jan. 22, 2004. He emigrated to the U.S. with his family in Septemb…
UPDATE: Body Of Drowned NJ High School Student Pulled From Pond UPDATE: Body Of Drowned NJ High School Student Pulled From Pond
Update: Body Of Drowned NJ High School Student Pulled From Pond UPDATE: The body of a New Milford High School senior was removed from a borough pond hours after what witnesses said was a tragic accident. Clinten Ajit, 18, was doing a good deed when he went into the Hard Castle Pond behind the Dorchester Manor Apartments near the borough athletic fields around 7:15 p.m. Friday, April 22. "Some kids accidentally kicked a soccer ball in the water and [he] said he would get it for them," a responder said after police spoke with witnesses. "He didn't know how to swim and never came back up." Responding officers found Ajit's shoes on the bank, the ball floa…
Women Looking For Any Excuse To Be Pulled Over By Bergen County Officer Going Viral Women Looking For Any Excuse To Be Pulled Over By Bergen County Officer Going Viral
Women Looking For Any Excuse To Be Pulled Over By Bergen County Officer Going Viral Women across North Jersey are apparently willing to get themselves into trouble if it means scoring a date with one of River Edge's newest officers. A photo of Domenic Pizzanelli holding a lost dog on the River Edge PBA Local 201's Facebook page has caught the attention of thousands of women, many threatening to run red lights and rob banks just to chat with the officer. The good news? The dog, MoMo, was returned home within hours. The bad news, at least for Bergen County hopefuls, Pizzanelli is off the market. In fact, Pizzanelli's girlfriend of two years, Riana McShea, has been nothing …
A Life Full But Too Brief: Beloved NJ Firefighter, IT Whiz, Dies At 57 A Life Full But Too Brief: Beloved NJ Firefighter, IT Whiz, Dies At 57
A Life Full But Too Brief: Beloved NJ Firefighter, IT Whiz, Dies At 57 TRIBUTE: The holiday season at the Emerson Fire Department won't be the same without Mark Brackenbury. Little else in town will be, either. The lifelong firefighter died peacefully at his Jersey Shore home surrounded by loved ones on Sunday, March 13, following a battle with cancer. He was 57. A Queens native, Brackenbury earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken before becoming an accomplished IT director. He began his professional career in 1993 as an IT manager with Health Management Systems in New York before joining Pfizer in 2002. Bracke…
ICE Puts Hold On NJ Contractor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teens ICE Puts Hold On NJ Contractor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teens
ICE Puts Hold On NJ Contractor Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teens A married contractor was charged with sexually assaulting two pre-teens in Hackensack and Westwood nearly five years ago. Francisco Barrera-Capistran, 36, who now lives in Homasassa, FL, was arrested in Westwood on Monday, Feb. 14, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He remained held in the Bergen County Jail after ICE placed a detainer on him Tuesday amid questions about his immigration status. Jail records list him as a Mexican national. If a local judge orders his release for some reason -- say, bail reform -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has requested 48-hour …
Concerns Emerge For NJ Homeless Outreach Program After Founder's Arrest Concerns Emerge For NJ Homeless Outreach Program After Founder's Arrest
Concerns Emerge For NJ Homeless Outreach Program After Founder's Arrest A man charged in a stabbing during a dispute over a parking spot outside his Clifton home operates a Paterson outreach program that's received more than $300,000 in grants this month and boasts partnerships with New Jersey State Police, among others. The ”lead-up to the incident” last weekend involving Roger Lester, 42, “is still unclear and has become a legal matter,” a publicist for his organization said Thursday. Brennan Jenkins of Ruthleess Marketing contended that Lester -- the founder and CEO of NJ PAAIN (Preparing Adolescent & Adult Ideologies Now) -- had been “caught […
Jaywalker, 83, Struck By SUV Driven By 80-Year-Old Motorist In North Jersey Jaywalker, 83, Struck By SUV Driven By 80-Year-Old Motorist In North Jersey
Jaywalker, 83, Struck By SUV Driven By 80-Year-Old Motorist In North Jersey An 83-year-old pedestrian from Waldwick was hospitalized -- and got a ticket -- after she was struck in Hackensack by an SUV driven by an 80-year-old Westwood woman, authorities said. The victim needed ankle surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center after she was struck on Berry Street by a Ford Edge whose driver had made a left from southbound State Street at 2:17 p.m. Sunday, Police Lt. Anthony Natale said. Police issued a summons to the pedestrian for jaywalking, Natale said.
Fire Strikes Family Of Late NJ EMT Fire Strikes Family Of Late NJ EMT
Fire Strikes Family Of Late NJ EMT The family of a beloved EMT who died last year suffered another tragedy when fire severely damaged their Emerson home earlier this week. Valderes “Val” Toulouzan-Vaporakis and her twin boys are physically OK. So are their cat and three dogs – one of whom was rescued from the fire and another who was found following an intense search. Firefighters prevented Tuesday's smoky blaze from causing major structural damage to the Sanford Avenue home. "As it turns out, their house was underinsured, making things even more difficult for them," said friend Lisa Leuck. "There are many repairs to be do…
Police Boost Presence At NJ High School Amid Alleged Threats Police Boost Presence At NJ High School Amid Alleged Threats
Police Boost Presence At NJ High School Amid Alleged Threats Police beefed up their presence at Westwood Regional High School following what some considered a threat triggered by an incident between students. It began after an 18-year-old student allegedly stole a cellphone from a younger one, multiple sources confirmed. The alleged victim and a friend grabbed the older student and beat him in a school hallway after lunch this past Tuesday, the sources said. The incident was captured on school surveillance cameras and student cellphone video, they said. His assailants apparently didn't know that the older student had previously sustained a traumati…
North Jersey Woman, 75, Found Dying Stabbed Daughter, Reports Show North Jersey Woman, 75, Found Dying Stabbed Daughter, Reports Show
North Jersey Woman, 75, Found Dying Stabbed Daughter, Reports Show UPDATE: A dying Washington Township woman was found by her 75-year-old mother after she'd been beaten and stabbed in her townhouse, investigators said. Flora Casale, who's listed in tax records as owning the Washington Commons condo off Pascack Road, called township police at 12:05 a.m. Sunday, saying that "she found her daughter, Mary Huber, injured inside of the residence," a complaint on file in Superior Court in Hackensack says. Arriving officers found the accused killer, Patrick Camilli, with a knife atop the unresponsive Huber, 51, "in a pool of blood," the complaint says. Camilli, w…
North Jersey Woman Dead, Boyfriend Charged In Attempted Murder-Suicide North Jersey Woman Dead, Boyfriend Charged In Attempted Murder-Suicide
North Jersey Woman Dead, Boyfriend Charged In Attempted Murder-Suicide A Washington Township man stabbed his girlfriend dead before trying to kill himself before dawn Sunday, authorities confirmed. Police responding to the Washington Commons townhouse complex off Pascack Road shortly after midnight found Mary Huber, 51, on the floor of her condo, with Patrick Camilli, 55, on top of her, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Huber, who'd suffered multiple stab wounds and bruises, was pronounced dead a short time later at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, the prosecutor said. Camilli was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was treated …
NJ Hospital Tech Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Minors NJ Hospital Tech Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Minors
NJ Hospital Tech Charged With Sexually Abusing Two Minors A hospital operating room technician from Maywood had just been jailed on charges of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old when detectives discovered that he'd done the same to a pre-teen, authorities said. Jeffrey T. Stockman, 49, remained held Wednesday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Maywood police contacted his Special Victims Unit detectives on July 4 about a sexual assault involving a minor. The investigators found that Stockman – who lists himself on social media as a surg…
'RHONJ' Stars Party Together Down The Shore For July 4 (PHOTOS) 'RHONJ' Stars Party Together Down The Shore For July 4 (PHOTOS)
'Rhonj' Stars Party Together Down The Shore For July 4 (Photos) The Gorgas sure know how to party! The “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars threw their annual Fourth of July bash last weekend — which wouldn’t be complete without fellow cast members. The couple hosted Teresa Giudice, her boyfriend Louie Ruelas, along with Jackie and Evan Goldschneider in Toms River. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jackie Mark Goldschneider (@jackiegoldschneider) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Melissa Gorga (@melissagorga) Several others came o…
Target To Replace These Shuttered NJ Kmarts Target To Replace These Shuttered NJ Kmarts
Target To Replace These Shuttered NJ Kmarts Another Kmart store has closed its doors leaving just two left in all of New Jersey. The Kearny store on Passaic Avenue closed on May 2, NJ Advance Media reports. The storefront will be replaced by a Target store, according to Target's list of upcoming locations.  Target will also be replacing the Kmart that closed in Wall on Route 35, and the one in Somers Point on 250 New Road. Only two Kmart stores remain in New Jersey: One in Avenel and the other in Westwood.