Pre-Teen Sexually Assaulted In Fairview, Cliffside Over Few Years, Authorities Charge Pre-Teen Sexually Assaulted In Fairview, Cliffside Over Few Years, Authorities Charge
Pre-Teen Sexually Assaulted In Fairview, Cliffside Over Few Years, Authorities Charge A 37-year-old man sexually assaulted a pre-teenage girl both in Fairview and Cliffside Park over the past few years, authorities charged. Arturo Velazco, a Dominican national living on 3rd Street off Anderson Avenue in Fairview, sexually assaulted the youngster multiple times between November 2021 and November 2022, authorities charged. She was under 13 at the time and still was when she was sexually assaulted again between June and November last year, they said. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Velazco was charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endanger…
Boy, 15, Robbed At Gunpoint Outside Ridgewood Stop & Shop Boy, 15, Robbed At Gunpoint Outside Ridgewood Stop & Shop
Boy, 15, Robbed At Gunpoint Outside Ridgewood Stop & Shop A 15-year-old Ridgewood boy was robbed at gunpoint outside the village Shop & Stop after arriving for what he thought was a sale that he'd made online, authorities said. The boy told police he brought $300 worth of clothing to the parking lot of the Franklin Avenue supermarket after cutting an online deal shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, Sgt. John A. Ward said. Instead, the teen said, he was accosted by four men who appeared to be 18 to 20 years old, one of them armed with a handgun. The robbers fled with the clothing and the boy, who wasn't injured, called police, Ward said. …
Stew Leonard's Announces Opening Of New Food & Wine Store In North Jersey Stew Leonard's Announces Opening Of New Food & Wine Store In North Jersey
Stew Leonard's Announces Opening Of New Food & Wine Store In North Jersey Stew Leonard's has announced the opening date for its food and wine store in Passaic County. The Stew Leonard's Farm Fresh Food and Wine store will be opening on Friday, May 17 in Clifton's Styertowne Shopping Center at 467 Allwood Road.  The 56,000 square foot grocery and wine store is the second of its kind in New Jersey and will feature more than a dozen local vendors from dozens of Garden State farms. The new store will move from its current location at The Promenade Shops at Clifton. The store will feature animatronic shows and a 14-foot tall lighthouse. "This is the most fun my…
NJ Couple Convicted Of Turning Immigrants Into Slaves NJ Couple Convicted Of Turning Immigrants Into Slaves
NJ Couple Convicted Of Turning Immigrants Into Slaves UPDATE: A South Jersey couple was convicted of forcing a pair of undocumented immigrants into slavery after luring them to America. Bolaji Bolarinwa, 50, and Isiaka Bolarinwa, 67, of Moorestown were discovered when one of the victims told her college professor, who alerted the FBI, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said. Originally from Nigeria, the couple were living in New Jersey as U.S. citizens when they recruited two victims to follow them, Sellinger said. They "engaged in an egregious bait-and-switch, luring the victims with false promises of a life and an education …
NJ Feds: Repeat Child Porn Collector Satisfied 'Deviant Desires' With Chats, More NJ Feds: Repeat Child Porn Collector Satisfied 'Deviant Desires' With Chats, More
NJ Feds: Repeat Child Porn Collector Satisfied 'Deviant Desires' With Chats, More A convicted NJ child porn collector had only just been released from federal prison when investigators said he tried buying kids’ shoes on Facebook Marketplace.  And that wasn’t all they said that Andrew Chu, 33, of Edison was up to. Authorities who examined Chu’s laptop and cellphone reported finding more than 100 pornographic images of naked underage girls. They also found live chats that Chu had with naked underage minors while masturbating, a complaint filed in federal court in Newark by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations says. One of them was only 11 years old, agents sa…
Local NJ Police Sergeant Took Child Porn Images From Investigation For Himself: AG Local NJ Police Sergeant Took Child Porn Images From Investigation For Himself: AG
Local NJ Police Sergeant Took Child Porn Images From Investigation For Himself: AG A local South Jersey police sergeant cherry-picked child porn images for himself from a case that his department was investigating, a grand jury indictment charges. Suspended Vineland Police Officer Christopher Ortiz, 39, of Estell Manor "requested from a subordinate and obtained via email" at least 17 images from a child pornography investigation for unauthorized use, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. All told, investigators found that Ortiz "possessed, viewed, or had under his control at least 100 items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of children," the attorney …
'Chameleon': Wife-Killer Facing Charges In 33-Year-Old NJ Murder Case Featured On Dateline NBC 'Chameleon': Wife-Killer Facing Charges In 33-Year-Old NJ Murder Case Featured On Dateline NBC
'Chameleon': Wife-Killer Facing Charges In 33-Year-Old NJ Murder Case Featured On Dateline NBC A convicted killer facing new charges in connection with his second wife's death in Mercer County will be featured in a two-hour broadcast titled "Chameleon" on Dateline NBC on Friday, April 26. John David Smith III has served 20 years in an Ohio prison for the murder of his first wife. Now, he faces murder charges in New Jersey for killing his second wife, Fran Gladden-Smith, 33 years ago in West Windsor. At 9 p.m. Friday, Dateline NBC said it will reveal a "gripping investigation exposing (the) man suspected of multiple murders." Victims' relatives and detectives who put Smith behin…
Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother
Wood-Ridge Man Convicted Again Of Murdering, Torching East Rutherford Grandmother 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Questionable DNA evidence found under the fingernails of a 70-year-old Bergen County woman bludgeoned and burned in her home may have gotten her killer a new trial, but it didn't change the outcome. For a second time, a jury in Hackensack convicted Daniel Rochat on Wednesday of all charges in the brutal September 2012 slaying of real estate agent Barbara Vernieri in her East Rutherford home. Rochat, 48, of Wood-Ridge was originally convicted in June 2017 of beating Vernieri, then pouring gasoline on her and around her home before setting it on fire to cover up the crime scene. Pros…
Violent Mahwah Crash Sends Rockland Bicyclist To Hospital (UPDATE) Violent Mahwah Crash Sends Rockland Bicyclist To Hospital (UPDATE)
Violent Mahwah Crash Sends Rockland Bicyclist To Hospital (Update) A Rockland County bicyclist was hospitalized after an SUV struck him on a Mahwah road a mile or so from the state line. The 40-something victim was "lucid and responsive at the scene" following the crash on Island Road at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, Mahwah Police Chief Timothy O'Hara said. He was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with multiple injuries, the chief said. The Honda HR-V struck him off a curved stretch of Island Road, just off Airmount Road, where there are no bike lanes.  The 30-something female driver from Bergen County remained at the scene and cooperated…
WATCH THIS: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian WATCH THIS: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian
Watch This: Enraged Driver From NJ Mounts Mid-Manhattan Sidewalk Aiming For Pedestrian An enraged New Jersey driver was recorded trying to run down a shirtless man in broad daylight on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk. The wild road rage pursuit continued up West 39th Street near Seventh Avenue before the driver left his Ford Taurus with three wheels on the sidewalk and confronted his target, footage shared by What Is New York on Instagram shows. "Call the cops! Calls the cops!" the man shouts. The pedestrian -- whose pants are down around his thighs, exposing red boxer shorts -- responds, then tries to duck into a building. A man at the door shoves him back onto the street. T…
Whole Foods Worker Goes Missing After Shift At North Jersey Store: Police Whole Foods Worker Goes Missing After Shift At North Jersey Store: Police
Whole Foods Worker Goes Missing After Shift At North Jersey Store: Police A 60-year-old Orange man has been missing since he worked a shift at Whole Foods Market on Sunday, April 21. Rousier Romain did not return home after he left his shift abruptly at the Whole Foods in Vauxhall, Township of Union police said. Romaine left Whole Foods at 3:40 p.m. and was last seen on foot in the parking lot near the fence along the edge of Route 78, adjacent to the property, police said. Romain’s vehicle was found parked in the lot and his cell phone is currently turned off, police said. Romain suffers from several medical conditions which require medication, police said..&nbs…
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private Englewood School (UPDATE) Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private Englewood School (UPDATE)
Threatening Bathroom Graffiti Temporarily Closes Private Englewood School (Update) 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Police were reviewing security video to determine who's responsible for a threat specifically mentioning Blacks and Hispanics that was found scrawled on a bathroom wall at Dwight-Englewood School. The K-12 school was closed on Wednesday, April 24, following the discovery earlier in the week of a message that investigators said threatens to "get even." The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office was alerted and police in Englewood are working the case, assisted by the county sheriff's forensics team, which collected evidence. "There's concern right now considering what just recently trans…
UPDATE: Quartet Flees Following Botched Maywood Jewelry Store Robbery UPDATE: Quartet Flees Following Botched Maywood Jewelry Store Robbery
Update: Quartet Flees Following Botched Maywood Jewelry Store Robbery Authorities are investigating the failed robbery of a Maywood jewelry store. The female owner and a male customer were in Diamond Fantasy on West Pleasant Avenue when two gunmen entered around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, authorities said. Two others outside apparently acted as lookouts, they said. All left empty-handed, although at the moment it's unclear why.  No one was injured and no arrests had been made as of early Wednesday. Police recovered a moped, detained and interviewed potential suspects and collected statements and video from in and around the scene. A local resident…
Youngster Stabbed Near School, Bergenfield Police Investigate Youngster Stabbed Near School, Bergenfield Police Investigate
Youngster Stabbed Near School, Bergenfield Police Investigate Bergenfield police were trying to sort out who stabbed a juvenile in broad daylight down the street from a borough school. It was shortly before 3:40 p.m. Monday, April 22, when officers responding to a call of a dispute  found the victim with several stab wounds near the corner of West Clinton Avenue and South Front Street, Police Capt. William Duran said. A large group of juveniles split when police showed up, the captain said. The victim was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center by members of the Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Corps with injuries that weren’t considered li…
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff'
She's Leaving Home: End Of Marriage Triggers Uneventful Mahwah 'Standoff' A SWAT team and other tactical units responded to a Mahwah home Tuesday afternoon after a resident expressed concern over suicidal comments she told police her husband had made, authorities confirmed. Fortunately, they weren't needed. The woman went to police headquarters early Tuesday afternoon, April 23, concerned over her husband's response when she said she was leaving him, responders said. A quick check determined that there are weapons in the home in the northeast section known as Cragmere near the Rockland County border. Out of "an overabundance of caution," Mahwah Police Chief Tim…
Morris County Man, 66, Stabbed While Reading Book At Port Authority Bus Terminal: Police Morris County Man, 66, Stabbed While Reading Book At Port Authority Bus Terminal: Police
Morris County Man, 66, Stabbed While Reading Book At Port Authority Bus Terminal: Police A 66-year-old Morris County man was stabbed at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan on Monday, April 22, authorities said. Michael McCloskey, 42, of California, was taken into custody by Port Authority police officers who heard the victim's screams at the north subway mezzanine level of the terminal just before 5:45 a.m., Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey, and its PBA said. The attacker dropped the knife after being confronted at gunpoint by police, the PBA said. The victim was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and the incident is under inve…
Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting, Choking Former Partner In Paterson Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting, Choking Former Partner In Paterson
Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting, Choking Former Partner In Paterson A man remained jailed after authorities said he sexually assaulted and choked a former partner in a Paterson residence earlier this week, authorities said. Saul Huamani-Rosas, a 26-year-old Peruvian national living in Paterson, was arrested on Sunday, April 21, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. It was just hours after the 23-year-old victim – “with whom he was previously in a domestic violence relationship” -- assaulted, she said. Huamani-Rosas remained held Tuesday in the Bergen County Jail, charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, harassment and crimina…
COLD CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech COLD CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech
Cold CASE: Two Charged 16 Years After NJ Robbery Victim Is Beaten To Death, Thanks To New Tech UPDATE: Leroy Julious had planned on whipping up a celebratory dinner after cashing a bonus check from his cook's job at The College of New Jersey when his brutally beaten body was found in a gravel lot across the street from his Ewing home. Julious's murder went unsolved for 16 years -- until authorities announced that technological advances and a shared mission among various agencies and law enforcement forensic experts cracked the cold case. Breyon Goodman, 36, of Trenton, and Jason Howard, 41, of Providence, R.I. killed Julious during a robbery near his Ewing home on May 9, 2008, t…
SEE ANYTHING? Pre-Dawn Hackensack Carjacking Reported By NY Driver SEE ANYTHING? Pre-Dawn Hackensack Carjacking Reported By NY Driver
SEE Anything? Pre-Dawn Hackensack Carjacking Reported By NY Driver Hackensack police are investigating a New York man's report that he was carjacked at a local Wawa before dawn Monday. The 43-year-old driver told police four male robbers "forcefully took several belongings" with his 2018 Land Rover, outside the South River Street convenience store across from the ShopRite plaza around 4:30 a.m. April 22, said Capt. Michael Antista, the officer in charge of the department. No injuries were reported, the captain said. Nor were any detailed descriptions provided. City detectives were seeking clues from area surveillance video. ANYONE who might have seen som…
GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism GOTCHA! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism
Gotcha! Federal, State Team Seize Local Man, 24, In Rutgers Islamic Center Vandalism UPDATE: An elite law enforcement team captured a 24-year-old local man on Monday who authorities said broke in and trashed the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick earlier this month. Jacob Beacher was due for an initial afternoon appearance on federal hate crime charges in U.S. District Court in Newark on April 22. Beacher broke into the CILRU shortly after 2:30 a.m. April 10 and did an estimated $40,000 worth of damage, state and federal authorities said. It was during the Eid-al-Fitr -- the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during…
Wanted On Warrants: Trio Nabbed With Drugs, Dog In Hasbrouck Heights Wanted On Warrants: Trio Nabbed With Drugs, Dog In Hasbrouck Heights
Wanted On Warrants: Trio Nabbed With Drugs, Dog In Hasbrouck Heights A suspicious vehicle call led Hasbrouck Heights police to a drug-carrying, canine-accompanied trio wanted on warrants, authorities said. Officers Christopher Connors and Sgt. Dom D’Amico found the Subaru sedan in a Boulevard parking lot shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21, Lt. John Behr said. Officers Paul Albanese, Michael DeSimone and John Mullins joined them along with Wood-Ridge Officers Mark Torsiello and Devin Ochiuzzo, the lieutenant said. The three occupants were all sent to the Bergen County Jail after the officers found crack, clonazepam pills and dozens of empty wax paper…
GOTCHA! Teens Nabbed By Fair Lawn Police After Pursuit, Crash GOTCHA! Teens Nabbed By Fair Lawn Police After Pursuit, Crash
Gotcha! Teens Nabbed By Fair Lawn Police After Pursuit, Crash A suspicious vehicle call led to the arrests of two teens who led Fair Lawn police on a stolen SUV pursuit into Paterson. The 17-year-old driver hit the gas and sped west when the officers pulled up on the SUV on Yerger Road at Menow Street shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, April 21, Fair Lawn Police Sgt. Eric Eleshewich said. They chased the Audi Q5 into the city before it crashed at Market and East 25th street, he said. Both occupants bailed, the sergeant said. The officers nabbed Ernie J. Fuentes, 19, on East 25th Street, Eleshewich said.  The juvenile was caught nearby trying t…
46 Dogs Rescued From Fire At Luxury Pet Resort In North Jersey: Police 46 Dogs Rescued From Fire At Luxury Pet Resort In North Jersey: Police
46 Dogs Rescued From Fire At Luxury Pet Resort In North Jersey: Police A police officer suffered smoke inhalation and 46 dogs were rescued from a boarding facility when a fire broke out at an industrial complex in Essex County Saturday night, April 20, authorities said. Police officers from Fairfield, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, and Wayne responded to the Pio Costa Industrial Complex on Bloomfield Avenue in Fairfield around 9:35 p.m. on reports of smoke condition, local police said. The blaze was reported to be located in building No. 9, which houses multiple businesses, including K9 Resorts Hotel, a full-time dog boarding facility. Officers were&…
Drug Den On Wheels: Closter Officer Stops Driver With Wide Assortment, Police Say Drug Den On Wheels: Closter Officer Stops Driver With Wide Assortment, Police Say
Drug Den On Wheels: Closter Officer Stops Driver With Wide Assortment, Police Say A Closter police officer found what amounted to a drug den on wheels when he stopped a driver just before midnight. It was two minutes before the calendar turned to Thursday, April 18, when Officer Anthony Lofaro stopped 22-year-old Mexican national Rafael Guerrero Gonzalez at the BP station on Closter Dock Road just off Piermont Road, Capt. Vincent Aiello said. Lofaro immediately smelled pot, the captain said. Inside the car, Aiello said, the officer found: 100 packaged liquid THC pods; a bag of raw mushrooms; a bag of crack; joints; pot candy, mushroom candy, liquid mushrooms, marijuan…
HORRIFIC: Retiree, 73, Collected Sexual Images Of Children As Young As 4: Passaic Sheriff HORRIFIC: Retiree, 73, Collected Sexual Images Of Children As Young As 4: Passaic Sheriff
Horrific: Retiree, 73, Collected Sexual Images Of Children As Young As 4: Passaic Sheriff A 73-year-old retiree was caught with more than 1,500 images of naked children as young as four years old engaged in sex -- and investigators suspect there may be more, Acting Passaic County Sheriff Gary Giardina said. Working from a tip, members of Giardina's Internet Crime Against Children Task Force discovered that Edward W. Herbst Jr. of Bloomingdale had uploaded sexual images of youngsters between four and six years old and was looking for more, the sheriff said. They arrested him on Thursday, April 18, while seizing various electronic devices from his home, Giardina said. A…
GOTCHA! Robber From Wallington Menaced 7-Eleven Workers At Two Stores With Knife: Prosecutor GOTCHA! Robber From Wallington Menaced 7-Eleven Workers At Two Stores With Knife: Prosecutor
Gotcha! Robber From Wallington Menaced 7-Eleven Workers At Two Stores With Knife: Prosecutor An elite team of investigators captured a 23-year-old Wallington man who they said robbed two 7-Elevens on either side of the Passaic River by threatening workers with a large knife. Tymear Haskins grabbed an employee from behind as the victim took out the trash in back of the 7-Eleven on Main Avenue in Wallington shortly before 4 p.m. April 8, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. After making the employee convince a co-worker to open a locked side door, Haskins tied one of them with a cord and held the other prisoner in a back office while demanding the code to a safe, the prosecuto…
New Jersey Rabbi Who Hired Hitmen To Kill Wife Over Affair Dies In Prison New Jersey Rabbi Who Hired Hitmen To Kill Wife Over Affair Dies In Prison
New Jersey Rabbi Who Hired Hitmen To Kill Wife Over Affair Dies In Prison Fred Neulander, the Cherry Hill rabbi who was convicted in a murder-for-hire plot to kill his wife, has died in New Jersey State Prison, the DOC website says. Neulander, 82, was observed unresponsive by correctional officers inside a prison infirmary unit on Wednesday, April 17, according to NBCPhiladelphia.com and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Prison officials have not released a cause of death, however, he was listed as "deceased" on the state's Department of Corrections website. Neulander — the founding rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom of Cherry Hill, a Reform Jewish synagogue — had been…
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors
Human Remains Found At NJ Construction Site Not Believed To Be Suspicious: Prosecutors Foul play was not suspected after human remains were found at a Jersey Shore construction site, authorities said. An analysis of the skeletal remains hasn't shown any evidence of the people's deaths being suspicious, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago and Wall Township police Chief Sean O'Halloran said in a news release on Friday, Apr. 19.  The remains were found on the 1100 block of Narrumson Road in Wall Township on Tuesday, Mar. 12. Work had just started on the foundation of a new home when the remains were discovered. A state police anthropologist perf…
Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors
Central Jersey Man Who Killed Father, Hid His Body Sentenced: Prosecutors A Monmouth County man will spend more than 20 years in prison after admitting to killing his father and hiding his body in their home almost two years ago, authorities said. Kenneth Knapp Jr., 32, of Matawan, was sentenced on Thursday, Apr. 18 to 30 years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree desecration of human remains. Matawan police were called to the family's home on Matawan Avenue on Sunday, May 1, 2022, for a welfare check on 58…
License Revoked Of NJ Cardio Doc, 77, Accused Of Fondling Female Patients 51 To 80 Years Old License Revoked Of NJ Cardio Doc, 77, Accused Of Fondling Female Patients 51 To 80 Years Old
License Revoked Of NJ Cardio Doc, 77, Accused Of Fondling Female Patients 51 To 80 Years Old UPDATE: A North Jersey cardiologist who avoided two separate attempts to convict him of fondling and groping female patients had his medical license permanently revoked by the state, authorities announced on Friday. John Strobeck, 77, who had offices in Fair Lawn and Hawthorne, was acquitted in Superior Court in Paterson in 2019 of groping a 50-year-old female patient during an exam five years earlier. Prosecutors were gearing up for a return to the courtroom with several other alleged victims when Strobeck was allowed to enter a pre-trial intervention program that will allow him to clear h…
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Sentenced For Deadly Stabbing NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Sentenced For Deadly Stabbing
NJ Ex-Con Featured On 'America's Most Wanted' Sentenced For Deadly Stabbing An Ocean County ex-convict and parolee once featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" will spend more than a decade in prison after admitting to his role in the stabbing death of another man, authorities said. Angelo Grenci, 47, of Berkeley Township, was sentenced on Friday, Apr. 19 to 20 years in state prison, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a news release. He pleaded guilty on Monday, Jan. 29 to aggravated manslaughter in the killing of 50-year-old Carlton Williams of Seaside Heights. Toms River and Berkeley Township police responded to RWJBarnabas C…