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Friday, mar 28
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Law Enforcement
Obituaries
Carbon Monoxide Killed 3 American Women On Belize Birthday Trip: Report
Three Massachusetts women found dead last month in a seaside Belize hotel died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to an investigation by the Belizean government, CBS Boston reported Wednesday, March 26. The bodies of Wafae El Arar, Imane Mallah, and Kaoutar Naqqad — all lifelong friends from Revere — were discovered on Feb. 22. The trio had traveled to Central America to celebrate El Arar’s 26th birthday, their families said. Related: Communities Rally Around Families of 3 Women Who Died in Belize Initial reports from officials indicated that the women died of acute pulmonary edem…
Police & Fire
'Screaming Banshee' From NJ With History Of Assaulting Cops Charged In Deadly DUI Crash
The intoxicated woman charged with striking and killing a 73-year-old pedestrian near the MIT campus in Massachusetts has a long record of arrests in New Jersey — including multiple assaults on law enforcement officers, court records show. Lauren Mullins, 32, of Roselle Park, NJ, was identified by family members of the victim, Daniel O'Neil, in a series of social media posts after the deadly crash near MIT on Thursday, March 21. Mullins was charged with operating under the influence of liquor and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, as previously reported by Daily Voice. Mullins' …
Police & Fire
Fake News: NJ Girl's Story Of Stabbing Abductor With Pencil Didn't Happen, Prosecutors Say
It sounded like a scene ripped from Law & Order: SVU — a would-be kidnapper in New Jersey stopped cold by a quick-thinking girl and her trusty pencil. But according to authorities, the dramatic tale was all made up. Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAuley and Berlin Township Police Chief Louis Bordi announced on Wednesday, March 26, that there's "no credible threat to the community" after a week-long investigation into the alleged March 19 abduction attempt. The girl had told investigators an unknown man approached her from behind while she was walking to school near Washington and Gro…
Obituaries
Funeral Services Set For NY Officer Killed In Off-Duty Crash (
Update
)
Funeral arrangements have been announced for Officer Jose A. Santiago Sr., who was killed in a wrong-way crash on Route 17 in New York, police said. Orange County resident Officer Santiago of Washingtonville, 65, died at the scene of the crash on Saturday, March 22, after his vehicle was struck head-on by a van that crossed into the wrong lane near Exit 113 in the Sullivan County town of Mamakating, according to New York State Police and Washingtonville Police Chief Brian Zaccaro. His wife, Blanca Santiago, 64, was injured in the crash and remains hospitalized in stable condition at G…
Police & Fire
Former
Nypd
Cop Killed, Wife Hospitalized In Wrong-Way New York Crash, Officials Say
A 65-year-old police officer from the Hudson Valley was killed and his wife hospitalized after a wrong-way crash on Route 17 in Sullivan County, NY, law enforcement officials confirmed. Jose A. Santiago Jr., of Washingtonville, NY, and member of the local police department, was behind the wheel of a 2021 Hyundai when he was struck by a 2019 Mercedes Sprinter Van, operated by Robert Cromer, 62, of Liberty, on Saturday, March 21, according to NYSP and WPD Chief Brian Zaccaro. Cromer was heading west on the highway when he veered off the south shoulder, crossed over the center median…
Police & Fire
Swatting Hoax Sends Cops Racing To Empty Paramus Home, Here's Who They Say Was Behind It
A 39-year-old man has been charged after authorities say he made a hoax call to police, falsely reporting a burglary in progress in Paramus and prompting a major emergency response. Joseph D. Monticello, 39, of East Hanover, was arrested after investigators determined he deliberately fabricated the report, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. The incident unfolded on Friday, March 7, at approximately 11:40 a.m., when Paramus Police Communications received an anonymous 911 call claiming that three to four masked men were loading items into a white van outside a home. The caller abruptl…
Police & Fire
FBI Seizes International Murder Suspect After Bergen County Burglary, Foot Pursuit: Cops
A sharp-eyed Mahwah resident helped police bust two alleged members of the notorious South American Theft Group (SATG) during an attempted burglary that led to a foot chase through multiple backyards, authorities said. Oscar Alvarez-Alzate, 28, and Cristian Bernal-Walles, 21, both from Queens, were arrested on the morning of Friday, March 21, after a neighbor spotted them wearing masks and backpacks and sneaking onto private property, Mahwah Police said in a release. The witness called police around 10:00 a.m. and officers rushed to the area, officials said. An officer arrived first and spo…
Police & Fire
Parolee Drugged, Sexually Assaulted By NJ Man For Months In Chilling Case, Complaint Says
A New Jersey man is facing disturbing charges after authorities say he repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted a cognitively impaired parolee under his care, authorities said. Michael J. Lupacckino, 63, is accused of abusing the 24-year-old victim over several months at his home in Wildwood Crest, according to police paperwork obtained by Daily Voice. Wildwood Crest police began investigating on Monday, March 17, after the man reported ongoing sexual assaults, Detective Corporal Pastor said in the documents. The victim told police he moved into Lupacckino's home on New Jersey Avenue in W…
Police & Fire
Bomb Threat Briefly Locks Down Hackensack Middle School
A bomb threat forced a lockdown at Hackensack Middle School during dismissal on Thursday, March 20, according to a statement from Hackensack Public Schools. Police responded to the Union Street building after the threat was received and immediately began an investigation. “We have received a bomb threat during dismissal time,” district officials wrote in a message to parents. “As a safety precaution, the building is currently on lockdown, and Hackensack Police are on the scene conducting an investigation.” Parents were urged not to come to the school while police worked to secure the area.…
Police & Fire
8-Year-Old NJ Girl Foils Abduction By Stabbing Suspect With Pencil: Prosecutor
A man attempted to abduct an 8-year-old girl while she was walking to school in Berlin Township on the morning of Wednesday, March 19, authorities said. At 8:45 a.m.. the girl said an unknown man approached her from behind while she was walking to John F. Kennedy Elementary School at 228 Mt. Vernon Ave., Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Berlin Township Police Chief Louis Bordi said. The girl was able to fight off the suspect by stabbing him with a pencil before running to school, authorities said. The suspect is described as a Black man with dark skin and a dark bear…
News
Cops Cleared In Killing Of Najee Seabrooks, Popular Paterson Activist
A state grand jury has declined to file criminal charges against the Paterson police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Najee Seabrooks, a violence interventionist who was killed during a police standoff in March 2023, authorities said. The grand jury’s March 17 2025, decision came after reviewing witness statements, video evidence, autopsy reports, and ballistics analysis, according to the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). Seabrooks, 31, of Paterson, was a former high school basketball star and dedicated violence interventionist with the Paterson Heal…
Police & Fire
Woman Attacks, Bites Officers During Drug-Related Arrest In Teaneck: Police
A New York woman is facing multiple charges after police say she attacked Teaneck police officers, biting one and throwing bodily fluids at another, following a drug-related arrest. Valeria Valencia, 24, of Bayside, NY, was taken into custody on Friday, March 14, at approximately 12:03 a.m. after officers responded to a disturbance inside a vehicle near Glenwood Avenue, by the Route 95 on/off ramp, according to Teaneck Police Chief McGurr. When officers arrived, they were waved down by a man outside the vehicle. Inside, they found Valencia in the driver’s seat, appearing in distress and com…
Police & Fire
$620K In Fake Checks Found In Vehicle With NJ Plates During PA Traffic Stop: Police
A routine traffic stop in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, led to the discovery of a massive fraud operation involving hundreds of counterfeit checks worth more than $620,000, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Tuesday, March 18. Christopher Hayman, 29, and Tyree Holmes, 33, were pulled over by Eddystone police while driving a white Volvo with temporary New Jersey plates on Thursday, March 13, according to officials. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered approximately 200 fraudulent checks linked to scams in four states, along with stolen credit cards and fake IDs, police said. Investigator…
Police & Fire
Thief Tries Stealing BMW From Trader Joe's In Bergen County, Flees On Foot: Cops
A brazen thief attempted to steal a 2023 BMW X7 from a Trader Joe’s parking lot in Westwood before fleeing on foot, authorities said. Westwood police responded to the Trader Joe’s at 20 Irvington St. around 12:53 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, after receiving a report of a carjacking in progress, Westwood Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. The suspect got into the BMW, which had been left with its key fob inside, and attempted to drive away, police said. When the owner confronted the thief, the vehicle struck another car in the lot. The suspect then jumped out of the car and ran away, pursued b…
Police & Fire
New Milford Stabbing Leaves Teen Critical After Shopping Center Fight, Authorities Say
A violent fight outside a New Milford shopping plaza near the high school ended in a stabbing that left an 18-year-old victim in critical condition, authorities said. Police responded to reports of a large fight at Madison Plaza on River Road around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, March 17, according to Jeff Angermeyer, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Deputy Chief of Detectives. Officers arrived to find a stabbed victim at the scene, but the suspect or suspects had already fled, officials said. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment and remains in critical but stable conditi…
Police & Fire
iPhone Detects DWI Rollover Crash, Passenger Seriously Hurt In Passaic County: Cops
A Butler man was charged with driving while intoxicated and assault by auto after flipping his Ford Explorer in a Bloomingdale crash that left his passenger seriously injured, police said. Eleazar Jimenezespinoza, 40, was arrested early Saturday, March 15, at 3:46 a.m. after officers responded to Union Avenue and Morse Lakes Road, where an overturned SUV was found in a wooded area, Bloomingdale Police Sgt. Sami Zeidan said. The crash was first detected by an Apple iPhone’s 9-1-1 alert system, bringing Sgt. Conrad Jimenez and Patrolman Zach Borell to the scene, Ziedan said. Jimenezespi…
Police & Fire
Masked Suspects Flee From Haledon Police, Triggering School Shelter-In-Place
A routine traffic stop turned into a police pursuit Friday afternoon, March 14, leading to a temporary shelter-in-place at Haledon Public School, authorities said. At 1:50 p.m., Officer Kris Duci spotted two males wearing ski masks on a motorized scooter near West Broadway and Cliff Street, police said in a news release. The scooter had no license plates, and neither suspect was wearing a helmet, the department said. When Officer Duci attempted a motor vehicle stop, the suspects sped off toward Cliff Court, police said. As the suspects ditched the scooter and fled on foot, they discarded s…
Police & Fire
Officer Injured In Head-On Tesla Crash On Route 9W, Sources Say
A Palisades Interstate Parkway police officer was injured in a head-on crash while attempting to stop a vehicle that allegedly ran a red light, Daily Voice has learned. The officer was pursuing the violator outside of the CNBC building on Route 9W (Sylvan Avenue) in Englewood Cliffs, when a Tesla turned in front of his vehicle, striking him head-on at approximately 3:15 Thursday, March 13, sources with direct knowledge of the incident said. Multiple local departments shut down portions of Route 80 as the officer was rushed to the hospital, sources said. “It was amazing to see,” one source …
Police & Fire
NJ Councilman Threatened Tow Truck Driver With Firearm: Prosecutor
Kerry Coley, a councilman in the City of Orange Township was arrested and charged on Monday, March 10, after he displayed a gun at a tow truck driver last October, authorities said. On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Coley displayed the gun to a tow truck driver who was in the process of towing a vehicle owned by Coley's relative, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II and City of Orange Township Police Director Todd Warren said. Coley was released from the Essex County Correctional Facility on Tuesday and is ordered to have no contact with the victim and not possess any firearms, authorities…
Police & Fire
Video Shows Sword-Wielding Man Charge At Wayne Cops Before Being Shot: Prosecutor
Police have identified the Wayne man captured on newly-released bodycam footage coming down the stairway of his home with a long sword, prompting officers to fire their guns last month (scroll down for footage). On Friday, Feb. 14, Wayne police encountered Connor Darpino, 34, when they responded to a single-car crash, where he was identified as the driver, Passaic County Prosecutor Camila M. Valdes in a new update Wednesday, March 12. During that interaction, Darpino became argumentative and combative with officers, leading to his arrest and release from Wayne Police Headquarters after bein…
News
Bergen Prosecutor’s Lt. Faces 50-Count Indictment For Stealing Fentanyl, Heroin: AG
A Bergen County prosecutor’s office lieutenant is facing a 50-count indictment after allegedly stealing cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl from the evidence vault and depositing $600,000 in cash into his personal accounts, authorities said. A state grand jury in Trenton indicted Kevin T. Matthew, 48, of Cedar Grove, after an investigation revealed he had allegedly signed out narcotics from BCPO’s main evidence vault between January 2019 and November 2023, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday, March 12. Authorities said Matthew was not part of BCPO’s narcotics unit, but as a me…
News
FBI Probes Alleged Arson Fire At NJ Home Of Bayer Exec: Report
A suspicious fire that broke out at the New Jersey home of a pharmaceutical company executive earlier this week is under investigation by multiple agencies including the FBI, authorities said. Yahoo Finance was first to report the alleged attack on a Bayer executive March 4 in Morris County. The blaze broke out at a home on East Lane in Madison at approximately 7:30 that morning, according to Meghan Knab, a spokesperson for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. The fire was quickly extinguished by local firefighters and the home did not suffer significant damage. Knab could not confirmed t…
Police & Fire
Newark Officer Killed, Teen Charged In Double Shooting: Officials
Authorities have charged a 14-year-old male and detained five others in connection with the shootings of Newark police officers that left Joseph Azcona dead and another officer critical, officials said. Azcona, 26, a five-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, was killed in the line of duty during a shooting on Friday evening, March 7, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. Another officer remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. His name has not been released. A spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed that two officers w…
Police & Fire
Breaking
: Two Newark Police Officers Shot, Prosecutor Says
Two Newark police officers were shot in the city on Friday evening, March 7, authorities said. UPDATE: Teen In Custody After Killing Newark Officer Joseph Azcona, Wounding Colleague, Officials Say One of the officers was killed while the other was left critical, officials said. A spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office only confirmed that two officers were shot just after 6:35 p.m. near Broadway and Carteret, and that one was critical — declining to provide details on the other's condition. Both were rushed to University Hospital, where one remains in critical condition, off…
News
Search Intensifies For Missing PA Teen Enci Aubrey Wu, Last Seen In NJ, Feared Sex Trafficked
The search for missing Pennsylvania teen Enci Aubrey Wu has gained momentum as community members rally for more visibility and support in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to statements by her parents on Friday, March 7. Wu, 14, of Palmer Township, Easton, who goes by Aubrey, vanished after climbing out of a bathroom window at her home on Jan. 10, 2025. Investigators later confirmed she was seen in New Jersey and at a Wawa in Whitehall Township on Jan. 11, but she has not been located since. Her parents and volunteers have been tirelessly searching for her for nearly two months, p…
Police & Fire
Student Sexually Assaulted By NJ Teacher After Bonding Over 'Words With Friends': Complaint
A 45-year-old teacher at Manchester Township High School was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a student 13 years ago, according to a criminal complaint. The woman said she had a sexual relationship with Ryan Ramsay, a social studies teacher when she was a 17-year-old senior at the high school, authorities said. She started talking to Ramsay outside of school by messaging on "Words with Friends" in January 2012, authorities said. Their conversation soon became flirtatious and from February through the end of the school year, they had a sexual relationship, authorities said. Ram…
Police & Fire
NJ Cop Hacked Women's Social Media Accounts, Shared Nude Photos: Prosecutor
A 25-year-old Mount Laurel police officer pleaded guilty to hacking multiple women's social media accounts and distributing their nude photos, authorities said. Ayron Taylor, a Moorestown resident faces 12 years in prison when he is sentenced in September, per the terms of a plea agreement, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw said. A woman contacted Evesham Township police in September 2022, to report her Snapchat and Facebook accounts had been hacked by an unknown person, Bradshaw said. The person then sent nude photos she had taken of herself to her Snapchat contacts, m…
Police & Fire
Hasbrouck Heights Pair Charged In Deadly Fentanyl Overdose In Hackensack
Two Hasbrouck Heights residents have been arrested and charged in connection with a deadly fentanyl overdose in Hackensack, authorities said. Robert Wichowski, 31, and Xiomara Frias-Barbosa, 28, were taken into custody on Wednesday, March 5, following a months-long investigation into the Nov. 2, 2024, overdose death of a 54-year-old man at a private residence in Hackensack, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Police responded to the home at 6:36 that night and found the victim unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and authorities noted indicators of a possible drug…
Police & Fire
Hackensack Police Director Ray Guidetti Stepping Down, City Says
Hackensack Police Director Ray Gudietti is stepping down. The City of Hackensack made the announcement on Thursday, March 6. Guidetti said he will step down at the end of March. Guidetti's departure comes after "taking on a culture of corruption that had infected the Hackensack Police Department when he was appointed in 2022, and instituting major reforms with the goal of bringing the Department back to its rightful position as a premier law enforcement agency in Bergen County," the release says. Guidetti was appointed "after a storied law enforcement career to clean up a police department…
Police & Fire
Bergen County Residents Among 23 Arrested In Another Major Drug Bust: Prosecutor
Twenty-three people including four women and 19 men from Bergen and Passaic counties have been arrested following a 10-month-long investigation into the distribution of cocaine and narcotics in Passaic County, authorities said. The 23 people were charged with various controlled dangerous substance offenses after an investigation that began last May, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes and numerous police chiefs said. Law enforcement in Wayne and Pompton Lakes began investigating after responding to complaints about the sale of cocaine in the area, Valdes said. The investigati…
Police & Fire
Abducted CT Toddler Found In Mexico 24 Years Later
A decades-old New Haven cold case has ended in an emotional reunion, thanks to a relentless detective, modern DNA testing, and a long trail of digital breadcrumbs. Andrea Reyes, who was abducted at the age of 2, has been found alive in Mexico, more than 24 years after she was taken by her mother, Rosa Tenorio, New Haven Police announced on Wednesday, March 5. Despite an active felony arrest warrant for Tenorio, she successfully evaded law enforcement for decades, allegedly taking her daughter across the border and raising her in Puebla, a city of over a million people. Her father, wh…
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