Tag:

Passaic County, NJ

NJ Ambulance Driver Arrested On Child Porn Charges Involving 13-Year-Olds, Sheriff Says NJ Ambulance Driver Arrested On Child Porn Charges Involving 13-Year-Olds, Sheriff Says
NJ Ambulance Driver Arrested On Child Porn Charges Involving 13-Year-Olds, Sheriff Says A 26-year-old landscaper and volunteer ambulance driver from Passaic County is facing child porn charges out of Illinois involving two 13-year-old children, authorities said. Victor E. Meza Valdez, of Ringwood, was arrested on June 20, by detectives with the Passaic County Sheriff's Office on a warrant out of McHenry County, IL, Acting Passaic County Sheriff Gary Gairdina said. During the search of Valdez's home, detectives seized several of his electronic devices, which will be transferred to the McHenry County State Attorney’s Office. Valdez faces various child pornography charges, …
Longtime Saddle Brook UPS Employee Frank Chiavetta Of Wayne Dies, 58: 'We Lost A Great Legend' Longtime Saddle Brook UPS Employee Frank Chiavetta Of Wayne Dies, 58: 'We Lost A Great Legend'
Longtime Saddle Brook UPS Employee Frank Chiavetta Of Wayne Dies, 58: 'We Lost A Great Legend' Lifelong Passaic County resident Frank Chiavetta died on June 17, 2024, at 58 years old with his family by his side, according to his obituary on the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home website. A Clifton native, Frank spent 40 years working UPS, having started with truck-loading and retiring as a customer counter representative in Saddle Brook, in 2023, according to his obituary. He lived in Wayne with his wife of 31 years, Anna Marie Chiavetta. News of the veteran driver's death was shared to Union Local 177's Facebook page, where former colleagues remembered him as a "great dude" with…
Medical Billing Worker, 36, Embezzled $400K From Employer, Bergen Prosecutor Says Medical Billing Worker, 36, Embezzled $400K From Employer, Bergen Prosecutor Says
Medical Billing Worker, 36, Embezzled $400K From Employer, Bergen Prosecutor Says A 36-year-old Passaic County woman is facing charges in Bergen County after authorities say she stole $400,000 from her employer, officials announced. Briana Rodriguez embezzled the money through unauthorized refunds to accounts under her control through her role as a medical billing professional, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The investigation, led by Chief Mathew Finck, came about in March 2022 when Hackensack police notified the BCPO's financial crimes unit of alleged employee embezzlement. Rodriguez was arrested outside of her home on Tuesday, June 18 by Bloomfield p…
US Marshals Arrest NC Dad Who Disappeared With Passaic County Baby Girl, Prosecutor Says US Marshals Arrest NC Dad Who Disappeared With Passaic County Baby Girl, Prosecutor Says
US Marshals Arrest NC Dad Who Disappeared With Passaic County Baby Girl, Prosecutor Says A 47-year-old North Carolina dad was arrested by members of the US Marshals Service after he failed to return a 10-month-old baby to her mother for days. Anthony Smith became the center of the investigation by Paterson police and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office on May 28, when officers were dispatched to East 27th Street and 21st Avenue, on a report of a custody dispute, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. There they were told that Smith was supposed to return the baby girl, his daughter, to her mother on May 26, pursuant to their court-ordered visitation…
CAUGHT: Couple Charged In Cold-Blooded Killing Of Paterson Man CAUGHT: Couple Charged In Cold-Blooded Killing Of Paterson Man
Caught: Couple Charged In Cold-Blooded Killing Of Paterson Man 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Paterson couple have been charged in connection with what authorities said was the premeditated cold-blooded shooting death of a 44-year-old city man earlier this month. Mathew X. Amaro, 27, shot Twahee Howard in the area of Chadwick and Weiss streets shortly before 9 p.m. June 2, authorities said. Howard, 44, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center of multiple gunshot wounds a short time later. Amaro is charged with murder, conspiracy, and drug and weapons offenses, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge…
Feds: Trio Who Trafficked Ghost Guns Through Hudson, Passaic Sentenced To 4-To-6 Years Feds: Trio Who Trafficked Ghost Guns Through Hudson, Passaic Sentenced To 4-To-6 Years
Feds: Trio Who Trafficked Ghost Guns Through Hudson, Passaic Sentenced To 4-To-6 Years 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Three members of a ghost gun trafficking network in Passaic and Hudson counties must spend from four to six years in federal prison before they'll be eligible for release, authorities announced. Ex-con Corey Jenkins Jr., 31, and Savion Clyburn, 21, both of Paterson, and Richard Mullane, 27, of Bayonne, were among the members of the D.I.Y. network that operated largely in both cities, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. They were targeted in an investigation in which the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) worked closely with vari…
WINNER! Ticket Sold Online In NJ Wins $10K WINNER! Ticket Sold Online In NJ Wins $10K
Winner! Ticket Sold Online In NJ Wins $10K Someone in New Jersey had a nice end to the month of May. A ticket sold online in the Garden State matched four numbers plus the gold Megaball in the Mega Millions drawing held on Friday, May 31, winning $10,000.  The ticket was sold online via the Jackpocket app, listed in Hewitt in Passaic County. The winning numbers were 4, 11, 23, 33, 49 and the gold Megaball was 23.
GOTCHA! Gunman Who Terrorized Robbery Victims In Bergen, Passaic Captured In VA: Prosecutor GOTCHA! Gunman Who Terrorized Robbery Victims In Bergen, Passaic Captured In VA: Prosecutor
Gotcha! Gunman Who Terrorized Robbery Victims In Bergen, Passaic Captured In VA: Prosecutor 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 24-year-old fugitive from Elmwood Park who was wanted for a terrifying armed robbery spree in Bergen and Passaic counties was captured in Virginia, authorities announced Wednesday. Husem Nasri pistol-whipped an attendant at a Valero station on northbound Route 17 near Route 46 in Hasbrouck Heights shortly before 3 p.m. Feb. 5, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Less 20 minutes later Nasri pointed a gun at an attendant who locked himself in the Delta station at Van Houten and Broad avenues in Clifton – also near Route 46, the prosecutor said. Nasri fled empty-handed both …
Home Invader Who Beat, Robbed Allendale Tenant ID'd As Passaic County Reoffender, 23 Home Invader Who Beat, Robbed Allendale Tenant ID'd As Passaic County Reoffender, 23
Home Invader Who Beat, Robbed Allendale Tenant ID'd As Passaic County Reoffender, 23 Authorities identified the assailant who beat and robbed an Allendale tenant at gunpoint two months ago of $900 in cash, pot and a bottle of booze as a violent repeat offender from Passaic County. Jahan A. Hendley, 23, of Clifton ambushed the victim outside his apartment shortly before 4 p.m. March 25, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Tuesday, May 21. Forcing him back inside, Hendley assaulted and robbed the victim – then pointed a gun at another civilian as he fled, the prosecutor said. Detectives didn’t have to go far to find Hendley. He'd been arrested in Passaic County in Ap…
GOTCHA! Fleeing Driver Who Hit Teaneck Woman, 18, On Sidewalk Turns Out To Be Repeat Offender GOTCHA! Fleeing Driver Who Hit Teaneck Woman, 18, On Sidewalk Turns Out To Be Repeat Offender
Gotcha! Fleeing Driver Who Hit Teaneck Woman, 18, On Sidewalk Turns Out To Be Repeat Offender 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A motorist who struck and injured an 18-year-old Teaneck woman when he drove onto the sidewalk to avoid police turned out to be a violent ex-con, authorities said. Michael Anthony Hammond, 32, of Paterson has a violent criminal history that stretches back well over a decade. He'd been arrested in Passaic County this past March on charges of choking a victim and endangering a child, but was released by a judge the very same day, records show. A little over two weeks later, on April 16, Teaneck Police Officer Kyle Rosen stopped Hammond on Palisade Avenue near Votee Park for several …
Passaic County Driver, 33, Killed In Fiery Crash Passaic County Driver, 33, Killed In Fiery Crash
Passaic County Driver, 33, Killed In Fiery Crash A Passaic County man died in a fiery crash in Atlantic County, authorities said. An Absecon officer saw the vehicle on fire off Route 30 near Delilah Road just before 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Apr. 28, the police department said in a news release. The vehicle was spotted near the former site of Bayview Motel. ALSO SEE: Owner Of Exotic Candy Store, 33, Killed In NJ Crash Craig Doka, 33, of Oak Ridge, was found dead inside the vehicle. Absecon firefighters also arrived and put out the flames. Doka's vehicle was the only one involved in the crash. Anyone who saw the crash or has information…
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…
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…
Passaic County Jail Officer Admits Bringing Inmate To 'Blind Spot' For Beating By Colleagues Passaic County Jail Officer Admits Bringing Inmate To 'Blind Spot' For Beating By Colleagues
Passaic County Jail Officer Admits Bringing Inmate To 'Blind Spot' For Beating By Colleagues 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Passaic County correctional officer admitted that he brought an inmate to a "blind spot" at the county jail so two colleagues could beat him for squirting one of them with urine. Officer Lorenzo Bowden, 39, initially agreed with Sgt. Jose Gonzalez and Sgt. Donald Vinales not to talk after they'd received federal grand jury subpoenas two years ago this month, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Bowden eventually had a change of heart. The pretrial detainee was "transported through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which correctional officers …
SEEN HER? Concerns Grow Following Unconfirmed Call That Missing Englewood Woman Was Dead SEEN HER? Concerns Grow Following Unconfirmed Call That Missing Englewood Woman Was Dead
Seen HER? Concerns Grow Following Unconfirmed Call That Missing Englewood Woman Was Dead 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚: A caller's claim that a missing single mom had died hasn't been confirmed, said authorities in Englewood who've stepped up their search for her. Concerns initially were raised when Cynthia Anderson, 33, who'd recently been homeless, stopped communicating with friends, police said. They became extremely worried when none of them could find her, Lt. Fred Pulice said. "No one's been in touch with her for a while," the lieutenant said on Wednesday, April 17, nine days after Anderson was last heard from. "There's genuine concern." One of the friends got a call from a masked number tha…
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…
WINNERS! Two North Jersey Powerball Players Score Big Bucks WINNERS! Two North Jersey Powerball Players Score Big Bucks
Winners! Two North Jersey Powerball Players Score Big Bucks It was a winning Wednesday for two North Jersey Powerball players. Tickets sold in Somerset County and Passaic County matched four numbers plus the red Powerball in the drawing held on Wednesday, March 27, winning $50,000. The tickets were sold at a ShopRite in Bernardsville and Union Food Store in Totowa. The winning numbers were 37, 46, 57, 60, 66 and the red Powerball was 8.
NJ Tri-County Takedown Nets 12,100 Heroin Folds, 9½ Ounces Of Crack, $107,089 Cash, Loaded Gun NJ Tri-County Takedown Nets 12,100 Heroin Folds, 9½ Ounces Of Crack, $107,089 Cash, Loaded Gun
NJ Tri-County Takedown Nets 12,100 Heroin Folds, 9½ Ounces Of Crack, $107,089 Cash, Loaded Gun A law enforcement supergroup seized 12,100 folds of heroin mixed with fentanyl, 9½ ounces of crack, $107,089 in suspected drug money and a loaded gun while busting a drug-dealing North Haledon couple, authorities said. Armed with search warrants, investigators hit 10 locations in Passaic, Bergen, and Sussex counties, leading to the arrests of Demoy Woolley and Qa’Lasia Williams. The couple became the focus of an investigation by Wayne police last November, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Wayne Police Department Chief Jack McNiff. Participating in the investigation…
Second Young Teen In Days Shot In Paterson Second Young Teen In Days Shot In Paterson
Second Young Teen In Days Shot In Paterson A 15-year-old boy was shot in Paterson’s Northside neighborhood, authorities confirmed. The victim arrived at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center via private vehicle with a non-fatal gunshot wound shortly after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Department Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi said in a joint announcement. He'd been shot near a ballfield and playground at the corner of North 8th and Oxford streets, they said. Valdes and Abbassi didn’t describe the circumstances. They also didn't say whether any suspects had been seized o…
Trio Of Winners! Three North Jersey Powerball Players Score $50K Trio Of Winners! Three North Jersey Powerball Players Score $50K
Trio Of Winners! Three North Jersey Powerball Players Score $50K Three North Jersey Powerball players kicked off their week with a bang. The trio, two in Bergen County and one in Passaic County, matched four numbers plus the red Powerball in the drawing held on Monday, March 25, winning $50,000. The tickets were sold at Leprechaun News in Rutherford, ShopRite in Elmwood Park and Stop and Shop in Ringwood.  The winning numbers were 7, 11, 19, 53, 68 and the red Powerball was 23.
Paterson Officers Charged With Covering For NYPD Captain Indicted For Brutally Beating Woman Paterson Officers Charged With Covering For NYPD Captain Indicted For Brutally Beating Woman
Paterson Officers Charged With Covering For Nypd Captain Indicted For Brutally Beating Woman UPDATE: The other shoe finally dropped with the arrests of three Paterson police officers in connection with what authorities said was the kidnapping and brutal beating of an off-duty female NYPD commander from New Jersey by a fellow captain she'd been dating. Giuseppe Ciarla, Juan Cruz-Fernandez and Jason Schmid let then-NYPD Capt. Hariton Marachilian leave after finding the victim with clearly visible injuries from a vicious beating outside a Paterson restaurant in December 2022, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said. Marachilian and the female captain had been out to dinner wi…
WINNER! Powerball Ticket Sold In Passaic County Scores $50K WINNER! Powerball Ticket Sold In Passaic County Scores $50K
Winner! Powerball Ticket Sold In Passaic County Scores $50K A Powerball player in Passaic County had a Monday to remember. A ticket sold in Clifton matched four numbers plus the red Powerball in the drawing held on Monday, March 18, winning $50,000. The ticket was sold at Krauszer's on 7th Street. The winning numbers were 10, 17, 20, 39, 44 and the red Powerball was 16.
Newly Minted Millionaire! Ticket Sold In NJ Scores $1 Million Newly Minted Millionaire! Ticket Sold In NJ Scores $1 Million
Newly Minted Millionaire! Ticket Sold In NJ Scores $1 Million A New Jersey lottery ticket hit the jackpot in the drawing held on Saturday, March 16. A ticket sold online via the Jackpocket app matched five of the five white balls, winning $1 million. Jackpocket is based in Hewitt in Passaic County. The winning numbers were 12, 23, 44, 57 and 61. The Red Power Ball number was 05. 
Tip Leads To Arrest Of Paterson Man On Child Porn Charges Tip Leads To Arrest Of Paterson Man On Child Porn Charges
Tip Leads To Arrest Of Paterson Man On Child Porn Charges Passaic County sheriff's detectives arrested a 34-year-old Paterson man who they said shared child pornography videos. Jorge Taboada-Rojano "confirmed he had come across child sexual abuse material over the Internet" when Internet Crime Against Children Task Force members came to his home on Thursday, March 14, Acting Passaic County Sheriff Gary Giardina said. The investigators had begun looking into Taboada-Rojano after receiving a tip that he was messaging the videos online, the acting sheriff said. They took him into custody and seized his cell phone, Giardina said. Tabo…
NJ Lottery Player Wins $50K In Powerball NJ Lottery Player Wins $50K In Powerball
NJ Lottery Player Wins $50K In Powerball It was a Wednesday to remember for a Powerball player in New Jersey. A ticket sold online in the Garden State matched four out of five numbers plus the red Powerball in the drawing held on Wednesday, March 13, winning $50,000. The ticket was sold via the Jackpocket app, which is based in Hewitt in Passaic County. The winning numbers were 21, 29, 54, 59, 62 and the red Powerball was 4.
FEDS: Hawthorne Dad Takes Plea Deal, Admits Trafficking Child Porn FEDS: Hawthorne Dad Takes Plea Deal, Admits Trafficking Child Porn
Feds: Hawthorne Dad Takes Plea Deal, Admits Trafficking Child Porn 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 50-year-old father from Hawthorne admitted that he trafficked child porn, federal authorities said. Edward M. O’Hagan “used one of his email accounts to send video files containing images of child sexual abuse to himself,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. O'Hagan, Sellinger said, "also used two email addresses to create accounts on an encrypted file storage platform that was used to upload or create files containing images of child sexual abuse." Investigators who arrested O'Hagan last May "recovered hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse" on his electr…
Clifton Man Once Busted With Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Kid Porn: Sheriff Clifton Man Once Busted With Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Kid Porn: Sheriff
Clifton Man Once Busted With Anatomically Correct Child Sex Doll Nabbed For Kid Porn: Sheriff A Clifton resident who was once busted with what authorities said was an anatomically correct child sex doll was caught collecting porn videos featuring victims from four to 12 years old, authorities charged. Miguel A. Guevara, 32, who works as a supervisor for a package delivery company in Secaucus, has been on lifetime parole the past four years, Acting Passaic County Sheriff Gary Giardina said. He showed up again on investigators' radar about five months ago, Giardina said. That's when members of the sheriff's Internet Crime Against Children Task Force "found [that] sever…
Bob Dylan Biopic Starring Timothee Chalamet Shooting In These NJ Counties Bob Dylan Biopic Starring Timothee Chalamet Shooting In These NJ Counties
Bob Dylan Biopic Starring Timothee Chalamet Shooting In These NJ Counties In New Jersey, the times are about to be a changin'. "A Complete Unknown,", a biopic about Bob Dylan starring Timothee Chalamet will be shooting in the Garden State.  The movie is set to film in Hudson, Essex, Passaic and Cape May counties from the end of March through May, Steven Gorelick, the director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission said. The film is directed by James Mangold, who previously directed the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line."  "A Complete Unknown" has been gestating for years and Dylan is an executive producer on the film, Mangold …
Stock Clerk Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen In Elmwood Park Stock Clerk Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen In Elmwood Park
Stock Clerk Charged With Sexually Assaulting Underage Teen In Elmwood Park A stock clerk already awaiting trial on an aggravated assault charge out of Passaic County was arrested by detectives who said he sexually assaulted an underage juvenile multiple times in Elmwood Park. Jaden Vargas, 21, of Paterson allegedly victimized someone who Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said was between 13 and 16 years old at the time. Musella didn't specify a time period and said only that the alleged incidents occurred "in the past." Vargas was arrested in Elmwood Park last Friday, March 1, following a two-week investigation and has remained held in the Bergen Co…
Lotto Ticket Sold In Online In NJ Wins $10K Lotto Ticket Sold In Online In NJ Wins $10K
Lotto Ticket Sold In Online In NJ Wins $10K Someone in New Jersey kicked off their March with a bang. A ticket sold online in the Garden State via the Jackpocket app matched four numbers plus the gold Megaball in the Mega Millions drawing held on Friday, March 1, winning $10,000. The Jackpocket app is based in Hewitt in Passaic County. The winning numbers were 15, 33, 37, 55, 61 and the gold Megaball was 24.
WINNER! Passaic County Lotto Player Scores $100K WINNER! Passaic County Lotto Player Scores $100K
Winner! Passaic County Lotto Player Scores $100K It was a lucky weekend for a lottery player in Passaic County.  One ticket matched all five numbers in the Jersey Cash 5 jackpot on Saturday, March 2, winning $100,000. The ticket was sold at Super Stop and Shop in Haskell. The winning numbers were 09, 25, 38, 39 and 40. The XTRA number was 3.