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Upper Saddle River Police

Obituaries
Retired Upper Saddle River Police Officer Craig Parrella Dies: 'The Guy You Could Count On' Retired Upper Saddle River Police Officer Craig Parrella Dies: 'The Guy You Could Count On'
Retired Upper Saddle River Police Officer Craig Parrella Dies: 'The Guy You Could Count On' Hearts broke across North Jersey on Christmas Eve as news spread of the passing of Craig Parrella, a retired Upper Saddle River Police officer and former United States Marine. Parrella's wife, Lauren, shared the news of his passing in an emotional Facebook post on Tuesday, Dec. 24. "Craig was quite simply one of the best people I ever knew," she writes. I have loved him since I was 22 years old and will love him until my last breath. He was kind, thoughtful, sweet, funny, selfless, talented, loving, and so much more. "Craig gave me a love and adoration that most people don’t find in their…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
GOTCHA! Mahwah, Upper Saddle River PDs Nab Rockland Man In Commercial Burglary Spree GOTCHA! Mahwah, Upper Saddle River PDs Nab Rockland Man In Commercial Burglary Spree
Gotcha! Mahwah, Upper Saddle River PDs Nab Rockland Man In Commercial Burglary Spree Police from Mahwah and Upper Saddle River teamed up to nab a serial burglar from Rockland County who broke into several well-known area businesses – including a local mini mart that was victimized twice, authorities said. Carlos M. Martinez Amaya wasn't only charged with burglarizing the Mahwah Bar & Grill, Ernie’s Ice Cream and the Fardale Deli & Mini Mart (twice). He's also accused of commercial burglaries in Upper Saddle River and Franklin Township and with pointing a gun at someone. Minimal proceeds were taken during break-ins the same night, March 31, at Ernie’s on Franklin Tu…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Teen Passenger In Route 17 Stop Had Loaded Gun, Magazine, Drugs, Cash: Upper Saddle River PD Teen Passenger In Route 17 Stop Had Loaded Gun, Magazine, Drugs, Cash: Upper Saddle River PD
Teen Passenger In Route 17 Stop Had Loaded Gun, Magazine, Drugs, Cash: Upper Saddle River PD An 18-year-old passenger was found carrying a loaded gun, drugs for sale and $3,000 in suspected proceeds during a Route 17 traffic stop, Upper Saddle River police said. Officer Jake Chiavelli stopped the Toyota Corolla for motor vehicle violations on the northbound highway near Franklin Turnpike around 11 p.m. Friday, June 30, Upper Saddle River Detective Capt. Edward Kane said. Passenger Jiovanni Contreras, 18, of Paterson had the .40-caliber handgun with a 25-round extended magazine inside his pant leg, Kane said. He and a 17-year-old city resident sitting next to him had "distribution …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Naked, Agitated Route 17 Motel Guest Trashes Room, Seized By SWAT Naked, Agitated Route 17 Motel Guest Trashes Room, Seized By SWAT
Naked, Agitated Route 17 Motel Guest Trashes Room, Seized By SWAT A naked, agitated Route 17 motel guest was quickly seized by a Bergen County Regional SWAT team on Monday after he trashed his room, authorities said. The 46-year-old man, originally from Paramus, appeared in the throes of what looked like "excited delirium" when Upper Saddle River police were called to the Fair Motel at 12:47 p.m. April 17, responders said. The man was outside the room, naked and bleeding, when responders arrived and then immediately ran inside and barricaded the door, Upper Saddle River Police Detective Capt. Edward Kane said. Several responders converged on the Fair…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Gruesome Injuries Suffered By Suffern Pedestrian Knocked Over Route 17 Median In Ramsey UPDATE: Gruesome Injuries Suffered By Suffern Pedestrian Knocked Over Route 17 Median In Ramsey
Update: Gruesome Injuries Suffered By Suffern Pedestrian Knocked Over Route 17 Median In Ramsey UPDATE: Yet another pedestrian who was struck trying to cross a deadly stretch of Route 17 in Ramsey suffered a gruesome fate, responders revealed. Both his lower left leg and part of his right foot were amputated after he was knocked over the highway divider, they said. The 66-year-old Suffern resident was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center after the tragic mishap shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, Ramsey Police Chief Brian M. Lyman said. "The initial investigation reveals the pedestrian was attempting to cross the highway and was on, or near, the center divider when he…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Delinquent With Ankle Monitor Among Trio Caught After Mahwah Stolen Car Pursuit, Paramus Crash Delinquent With Ankle Monitor Among Trio Caught After Mahwah Stolen Car Pursuit, Paramus Crash
Delinquent With Ankle Monitor Among Trio Caught After Mahwah Stolen Car Pursuit, Paramus Crash A predawn stolen car chase that began at a Mahwah housing development that has become a frequent destination for thieves ended in a crash in Paramus and the seizure of three delinquents from Newark, one of whom was wearing an ankle monitor, authorities said. Township police converged the Rio Vista development in response to multiple 911 calls of vehicles being broken into shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, Capt. Guido Bussinelli said. Moments later, Officer Darren Iurato tried to stop a recently-stolen Honda CRV after it emerged from the complex and headed first toward Campgaw Road and …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Two Vehicles Hit Pedestrian Trying To Cross Route 17 UPDATE: Two Vehicles Hit Pedestrian Trying To Cross Route 17
Update: Two Vehicles Hit Pedestrian Trying To Cross Route 17 Two vehicles hit a man as he tried to cross dark, busy Route 17 in Ramsey, authorities said. Described only as in his 20s, the victim was wearing dark clothing when he tried to make his way across the highway roughly a half-mile south of the Lake Street overpass shortly after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, Ramsey Police Chief Brian Lyman said. Where he was headed wasn’t clear. He was struck in the southbound lanes by two vehicles, the chief said on Thursday. “The operators of both vehicles, as well as multiple witnesses, stopped and remained” at the scene, Lyman said. Police temporarily c…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Female Driver Reportedly Groped By Attendant At Route 17 Gas Station, Police Seek Other Victims Female Driver Reportedly Groped By Attendant At Route 17 Gas Station, Police Seek Other Victims
Female Driver Reportedly Groped By Attendant At Route 17 Gas Station, Police Seek Other Victims A driver told police that an attendant at a Route 17 service station groped her, said authorities who are trying to determine whether there are any other alleged victims. The 25-year-old motorist told police that she’d just paid for gas with a credit card at the Valero station just past the Extended Stay America Hotel on the northbound highway near the New York State border around 8 p.m. Sunday, Upper Saddle River Police Capt. Edward Kane said. Abdul Shaed, 47, of Paterson, then “reached into her vehicle and rubbed her inner thigh and groin areas after he returned her credit card,” the capt…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police Free Motorist In Utility Pole Crash That Closed Route 17 Police Free Motorist In Utility Pole Crash That Closed Route 17
Police Free Motorist In Utility Pole Crash That Closed Route 17 Upper Saddle River police officers broke the rear window to free a driver whose SUV landed on its side after hitting a utility pole on Route 17 during the heavy overnight rainstorm, authorities said. The 49-year-old Paterson motorist was headed south when he lost control of his Ford Explorer, which went off the roadway and hit the pole outside Jack Daniels Audi shortly after 1 a.m., Police Capt. Edward Kane said. The Explorer landed on the driver's side as utility wires were strewn across the highway, closing both sides for nearly 90 minutes, the captain said. The driver was take…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Crash Spills Bottles Of Water, Gatorade, Sunny D Across Route 17 Crash Spills Bottles Of Water, Gatorade, Sunny D Across Route 17
Crash Spills Bottles Of Water, Gatorade, Sunny D Across Route 17 A sedan slammed into a pickup truck on Route 17 early Sunday, spilling dozens of bottles of water, Gatorade and Sunny D orange drink. There were injuries but no immediate word on the extent following the northbound-side collision outside the Valero gas station at the border of Ramsey and Upper Saddle River around 7 a.m. One lane of traffic was able to squeeze by as the debris was cleared. One lane got by at the border of Ramsey and Upper Saddle River on northbound Route 17.Michael P. Alvarez for DAILY VOICE The Acura sedan -- which ended up with bottles inside its crumpled engine -- h…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Double Rollover Jams Route 17 Double Rollover Jams Route 17
Double Rollover Jams Route 17 Northbound Route 17 was temporarily closed following a double-rollover crash in Ramsey. All of the occupants of the Jeep and minivan involved got out safely following the 8 a.m. crash Wednesday, May 18, near the QuickChek just north of East Allendale Avenue, responders said. Injuries didn't appear serious. Ramsey police, firefighters and rescue unit members quickly responded along with Upper Saddle River police and EMS from The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, witnesses said. The northbound highway was jammed with morning commuters and commercial drivers as the wreckage was cleared and evid…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
HERO: Upper Saddle River Officer Rescues Rockland Driver From Fiery Wreck HERO: Upper Saddle River Officer Rescues Rockland Driver From Fiery Wreck
Hero: Upper Saddle River Officer Rescues Rockland Driver From Fiery Wreck An Upper Saddle River police officer responding to a crash dragged an unconscious Rockland County driver to safety moments before the man's minivan went up in flames. The minivan had slammed into a utility pole, splitting it at the base, on East Saddle River Road south of Lake Street just after midnight Thursday, Capt. Edward Kane said. The engine block was already starting to cook when Officer Tim Erstling arrived, Kane said. Erstling immediately pulled the 29-year-old Pomona, NY driver out and away from the minivan, the captain said. "Minutes later, the vehicle was fully engulfed," he s…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Overnight Tractor-Trailer Crash Ties Up Route 17 Overnight Tractor-Trailer Crash Ties Up Route 17
Overnight Tractor-Trailer Crash Ties Up Route 17 A tractor-trailer driver was hospitalized following an overnight crash on Route 17, authorities said. Traffic was initially limited to one lane in each direction after the northbound rig hit the center median around 2 a.m. near the Valero gas station, leaving the tractor on one side of the divider and the trailer on the other. The driver, 47, was taken to The Valley Hospital with a back injury, Upper Saddle River Detective Lt. Edward Kane said. Ramsey Auto removed the rig and the scene was cleared in about an hour, the lieutenant said. Members of the New Jersey departments of environ…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Fiery Crash Closes Route 17 Fiery Crash Closes Route 17
Fiery Crash Closes Route 17 A driver escaped serious injury after an SUV struck a pole and burst into flames Monday morning on Route 17. Route 17 was initially closed in both directions just past the Bottle King on the northbound side in Ramsey after the crash downed power lines shortly after 8:30 a.m. The southbound lanes were reopened an hour later. Witnesses said the driver got out under his own steam. Ramsey firefighters doused the blaze. A Bergen County Hazardous Materials Unit cleaned up a fuel spill. Upper Saddle River police assisted with traffic. The SUV struck a pole and burst into flames.Kelly Fitzgera…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
UPDATE: Utility Pole Split, Juvenile Passenger Hospitalized In Route 17 Crash UPDATE: Utility Pole Split, Juvenile Passenger Hospitalized In Route 17 Crash
Update: Utility Pole Split, Juvenile Passenger Hospitalized In Route 17 Crash UPDATE: A stretch of northbound Route 17 in Upper Saddle River was temporarily closed after an SUV carrying a family of four split a utility pole, downing wires alongside the highway and sending a juvenile passenger to the hospital before dawn Saturday. The youngster was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with a head cut after their Ford Escape left the roadway and struck the pole around 3:30 a.m. at the highway entrance off the East Crescent Avenue overpass, Detective Capt. Edward Kane said. The 36-year-old female driver was uninjured, as was an adult and second juvenile passen…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
GOTCHA! Saddle River Police Nab Burglar From Montvale Running Out Residents' Front Door GOTCHA! Saddle River Police Nab Burglar From Montvale Running Out Residents' Front Door
Gotcha! Saddle River Police Nab Burglar From Montvale Running Out Residents' Front Door Saddle River police nabbed a burglar from Montvale as he ran out the front door of a local home, authorities said. Residents returning to their home near Chestnut Ridge Road around 5 p.m. Saturday called police after finding signs of a break-in, Lt. Edward Giannotti said. What they didn't know was that the intruder was still inside, he said. Howard Zhang, 37, tried to outrun the responders but was quickly tackled by Officer John Latka and Detective Michael Cooper, the lieutenant said. Zhang, whose criminal history includes convictions out of both Bergen County and Texas, had an outstandin…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
PHOTOS: Four Vehicles Towed After Pileup Off Route 17 In Ramsey PHOTOS: Four Vehicles Towed After Pileup Off Route 17 In Ramsey
Photos: Four Vehicles Towed After Pileup Off Route 17 In Ramsey Four vehicles all had to be towed after a chain-reaction crash Thursday off Route 17 in Ramsey. No serious injuries were reported in the incident at the intersection of East Crescent Avenue and Lake Street. Ramsey police, firefighters, EMS and Ramsey Rescue all responded. Upper Saddle River police assisted with traffic control. Boyd A. Loving took the photos and contributed to this account.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Wyckoff PD: Upper Saddle River Police Help Catch Bronx Package Thieves Wyckoff PD: Upper Saddle River Police Help Catch Bronx Package Thieves
Wyckoff PD: Upper Saddle River Police Help Catch Bronx Package Thieves Wyckoff police got an assist from their colleagues in Upper Saddle River after a Bronx couple tried shipping an illegally-bought phone to a resident’s home. Erika Lora, 35, came to the Hartung Drive resident’s front door, provided the name on the package and asked for it, Lt. Joseph Soto said. The resident claimed the package – containing a new cellphone worth about $1,000 -- never arrived, Soto said. She called police as the couple drove off in a car they’d parked in the homeowner’s driveway, he said. Wyckoff police broadcast an alert, and Upper Saddle River police stopped the car a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Rolex Engraved With Love Note Found At Upper Saddle River Playground Rolex Engraved With Love Note Found At Upper Saddle River Playground
Rolex Engraved With Love Note Found At Upper Saddle River Playground Authorities are seeking the owner of a Rolex that was discovered Tuesday afternoon on an Upper Saddle River playground. The watch was discovered at Lions Park at approximately 3 p.m., police said on Facebook. It's engraved with the words: "Steve, May our love be timeless. Erica." To claim the watch or report information call the USR police at (201) 327-2700.

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by Cecilia Levine