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Mark Musella

NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids
NJ Widower, 91, Charged With Exposing Himself To Three Kids A 91-year-old Saddle Brook widower was jailed Friday after authorities said he exposed himself to a trio of preteens. John Urso was booked into the Bergen County Jail on April 12 following his arrest on lewdness charges hours earlier, records show. The defendant "exposed themselves to students who were playing outside at Franklin School," Saddle Brook Schools Supt. Toni Violetti wrote in a message to the community. Violetti thanked staff at the K-6 school on Caldwell Avenue "for their quick response" and township police "for their swift investigation and decisive action." Bergen Cou…
Ex-NJ Middle School Band Director Charged With Sexual Touching Ex-NJ Middle School Band Director Charged With Sexual Touching
Ex-NJ Middle School Band Director Charged With Sexual Touching A Sussex County high school administrator had sexual contact multiple times with an underage student in Bergen County when he was a middle school band director there, authorities charged. Kurt Zimmerman, a 55-year-old married father of two, “engaged in sexual conduct” with a student between 13 and 17 years old both at Westwood Regional Middle School in Westwood and at Westwood Regional High School in Washington Township, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Zimmerman, of Rockaway, has worked since 2013 at Hopatcong High School, first as a band director for 10 years and then as coo…
UPDATE: Two Trapped In Suspicious Teaneck Basement Fire Die: Prosecutor UPDATE: Two Trapped In Suspicious Teaneck Basement Fire Die: Prosecutor
Update: Two Trapped In Suspicious Teaneck Basement Fire Die: Prosecutor UPDATE: Two people were confirmed dead Thursday following a suspicious gasoline-fed overnight basement fire in Teaneck that sources said was an attempted murder-suicide earlier this week. Firefighters were dousing the 12:30 a.m. blaze at a multi-family home on Palisade Avenue on Monday, Feb. 19, when they discovered and rescued three people trapped in a basement apartment, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He identified them as Manjit Kaur, 47, 35-year-old Ranjodh Singh IV and an as-yet-unidentified woman. All three were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, but Manjit K…
Fugitive Wanted For Murdering Fellow Out-Of-Stater In NJ Captured In Colombia Fugitive Wanted For Murdering Fellow Out-Of-Stater In NJ Captured In Colombia
Fugitive Wanted For Murdering Fellow Out-Of-Stater In NJ Captured In Colombia The long arm of the law reached 2,400 miles to South America, where authorities arrested a fugitive wanted for shooting a Yonkers resident dead in Englewood late last summer. Joshua Alvarado, 29, of New York City was captured in Medellin last Saturday, Feb. 17, with assistance from U.S. Marshals and the Colombian National Police, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Alvarado is charged with murder, felony murder, armed burglary, aggravated assault and weapons offenses, among other counts, the prosecutor said. Englewood police responding to a 911 call to a residence on Mevan Avenue …
SHOCKER: NJ Teacher Had Sex With Student Starting At 15 In School, Car, House: Authorities SHOCKER: NJ Teacher Had Sex With Student Starting At 15 In School, Car, House: Authorities
Shocker: NJ Teacher Had Sex With Student Starting At 15 In School, Car, House: Authorities A married teacher had intercourse as part of a years-long sexual relationship with a former Garfield Middle School student beginning when the youngster was 15, including several times in a car -- and even at the school, authorities charged. Amy Impero D'Ovidio, a 46-year-old Bergen County native, had worked for the Garfield Board of Education when the alleged encounters began, they said. She was 35 at the time. Locations included “within the Garfield Middle School, at a private residence in Cedar Grove, as well as within a vehicle at unknown locations in Bergen, Essex, and Passaic counties…
Paramus Man Stabbed Dead By Son, Left For Two Days: Authorities Paramus Man Stabbed Dead By Son, Left For Two Days: Authorities
Paramus Man Stabbed Dead By Son, Left For Two Days: Authorities UPDATE: A Paramus man who’d just stabbed his father to death dragged the body to a bathroom and tried to set it on fire last week as part of an attempt to conceal what he’d done, authorities said. Melvin Thomas repeatedly stabbed his father, 61-year-old Manuel Thomas, in the chest with a kitchen knife on Valentine’s Day, a criminal complaint says. He then dragged the bloody corpse to a bathroom where he tried igniting it with a lighter, according to the complaint filed by Paramus Police Detective Justin Sicari. “This attempt failed,” the detective wrote. Melvin Thomas wiped off …
Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street
Hudson Ex-Con Delivering Flowers Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Bergen Street A floral deliveryman with a criminal history was convicted of grabbing a woman on a Leonia street and trying to sexually assault her in Leonia after harassing her 20 minutes earlier in Fort Lee. Randy Gallman of Jersey City was on the clock when he harassed the woman the afternoon of Dec. 29, 2020, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. He caught up to her a short time later, dragged her into an alleyway and tried to sexually assault her, the prosecutor said on Friday, Dec. 16. The victim said she screamed and Gallman ran off as she dialed 911. Local police notified detectives with M…
Infant Ingests Cocaine At NJ Home, Couple Arrested Infant Ingests Cocaine At NJ Home, Couple Arrested
Infant Ingests Cocaine At NJ Home, Couple Arrested A couple were arrested after an infant ingested cocaine at the man’s Bergenfield home and had to be rushed to the hospital, authorities said. The child was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center following a call for help from Seminary Court, a cul-de-sac behind Our Lady of Angels Cemetery, on Monday, Jan. 29. It was quickly determined that the infant had ingested cocaine, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Prosecutor’s detectives and Bergenfield police seized Raymond Sylvester, 55, a physical therapist who lives at the home, and Leshawnda Nixon, 33, who’s listed in criminal…
Disgraced NJ Judge’s Son Charged With Collecting Child Porn Disgraced NJ Judge’s Son Charged With Collecting Child Porn
Disgraced NJ Judge’s Son Charged With Collecting Child Porn BREAKING NEWS: The son of a former judge who was removed from the bench for misconduct was busted on child porn charges following a raid on the family home in Waldwick, authorities confirmed on Friday. George M. Silebi, 27, “used the Internet to view, download, and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Jan. 18. Detectives from Musella’s Cyber Crimes Unit raided the Sheridan Avenue home of former Superior Court Judge Liliana DeAvila-Silebi exactly a week earlier. From there they traveled to N…
Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (UPDATE) Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (UPDATE)
Prosecutor: Investigation Underway Into Alleged Improprieties At Bergen Police Academy (Update) In his first extended public comment since claims of misconduct at the local police academy were revealed by Daily Voice last month, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed that an investigation by his office is underway. “We take all allegations of misconduct seriously, and we immediately began an investigation” into the allegations at the Bergen County Police Academy in Mahwah after being notified of the alleged improprieties. All of the academy’s instructors except one were relieved of their duties by the New Jersey Police Training Commission (PTC) amid the accusations, Daily Voi…
GOTCHA! Accused Route 4 Road Rage Driver Caught, Charged With Attempted Murder In Stabbing GOTCHA! Accused Route 4 Road Rage Driver Caught, Charged With Attempted Murder In Stabbing
Gotcha! Accused Route 4 Road Rage Driver Caught, Charged With Attempted Murder In Stabbing UPDATE: A manhunt ended with the arrest in Belleville of a Paterson motorist on attempted murder charges following the stabbing of another driver during a noontime road rage incident on Route 4 in Paramus, authorities confirmed. Christian A. Velez, 24, and the victim got out of their vehicles in front of the Popeye's on the highway’s eastbound side during an unspecified argument around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. The 28-year-old victim, who was driving a Mercedes van, was stabbed in the side and back and slashed once on the arm, the chief said. …
Bergen Prosecutor's Lieutenant Charged With Stealing Coke, Fentanyl From Evidence Bergen Prosecutor's Lieutenant Charged With Stealing Coke, Fentanyl From Evidence
Bergen Prosecutor's Lieutenant Charged With Stealing Coke, Fentanyl From Evidence A Bergen County prosecutor’s lieutenant stole cocaine and potentially deadly fentanyl from his department's evidence room, then tried to return the drugs in “substantially different” condition after superiors got wise, state authorities charged. Kevin T. Matthew, 47, of Cedar Grove, apparently was selling the drugs based on what was a series of cash deposits under $10,000 each at various banks to try and slide past federal reporting requirements, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Two razor blades were also found in Matthew’s office at the BCPO, the attorney general …
FUGITIVE SOUGHT: Accused Pedophile Living In Cliffside Wanted For Assaulting Fairview Pre-Teen FUGITIVE SOUGHT: Accused Pedophile Living In Cliffside Wanted For Assaulting Fairview Pre-Teen
Fugitive Sought: Accused Pedophile Living In Cliffside Wanted For Assaulting Fairview Pre-Teen A 52-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a pre-teen in Fairview multiple times fled the country and has been in Guatemala for at least the past few months, a reliable source told Daily Voice. Detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of Bernardo Velazco, a single and unemployed Guatemalan national who had been living in Cliffside Park when the assaults allegedly occurred. He is considered a fugitive from justice, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Monday, Dec. 18. Fairview police alerted members of the prosecutor's Special Victims Unit after the alleged assaults …
Aide In NJ After-School Program Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen Aide In NJ After-School Program Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen
Aide In NJ After-School Program Charged With Sexually Assaulting Pre-Teen A now-former aide with an after-school program in Englewood was arrested over the weekend and charged with sexually assaulting a preteen, authorities confirmed on Monday. Johnathan Jones, 21, “sexually assaulted a child under the age of 13 in Englewood while in a supervisory role,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Dec. 4. Jones, who lives in the Passaic County town of Bloomingdale, was employed by the city Recreation Department as an aide with the “SunFun at McCloud” After-School Program at the Dr. Leroy McCloud Elementary School on Tenafly Road, District Schools Supt. Dr.…
MOTEL HORROR: Two Dead, Three Hospitalized After Drug OD On Highway Approaching GWB MOTEL HORROR: Two Dead, Three Hospitalized After Drug OD On Highway Approaching GWB
Motel Horror: Two Dead, Three Hospitalized After Drug OD On Highway Approaching GWB Two people died and three were hospitalized after suffering suspected drug overdoses Tuesday afternoon at a motel along the approach to the George Washington Bridge, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed. Fort Lee police were called to the Skyview Motel on eastbound Route 46 at 1:41 p.m. Nov. 14, the prosecutor said. They found five apparent overdose victims going in and out of consciousness, he said. The officers deployed Narcan while conducting CPR, Musella said. Two of the victims -- apparently in their 30s -- were pronounced dead at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, res…
Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources
Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources A ranking detective with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is at the center of an investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office into the sale of several kilos worth of drugs stolen from an evidence room, multiple sources said. At least one arrest was expected as part of what sources say was an undercover sting involving the New Jersey State Police that led to the theft and sale of more than a dozen kilos of narcotics that had been seized as evidence. An investigation was confirmed -- without elaboration -- by both agencies. Neither has publicly identified the department vet…
Arrest Made In Hit-And-Run That Seriously Injured Route 46 Pedestrian : Ridgefield Park PD Arrest Made In Hit-And-Run That Seriously Injured Route 46 Pedestrian : Ridgefield Park PD
Arrest Made In Hit-And-Run That Seriously Injured Route 46 Pedestrian : Ridgefield Park PD Authorities arrested a tow truck driver from Philadelphia who they said kept on going after hitting and seriously injuring a 67-year-old pedestrian crossing Route 46 six weeks ago. Naser Abu Ali, 20, was driving a 2014 Ford transit van that hit Elizabeth Crum as she crossed at the light on Route 46 (Winant Avenue) in Ridgefield Park on Sept. 24, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Crum, of Ridgefield Park, was taken by ambulance to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, where she was treated for serious bodily injuries, the prosecutor said. Meanwhile, detectives from Musella’s Major Cri…
Girl, 2, Drowns In Bathtub In North Jersey Girl, 2, Drowns In Bathtub In North Jersey
Girl, 2, Drowns In Bathtub In North Jersey An unresponsive 2-year-old child died at Holy Name Medical Center after being brought there from a home in Bergenfield early Sunday evening, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed. The little girl drowned in a bathtub, a source with direct knowledge of the incident told Daily Voice. The child lived on Brook Street with her mother, stepfather and his parents, another source said. Musella didn't address the cause of death in a quick release shortly before 9 p.m. Nov. 5. "At approximately 5:20 p.m., the Bergenfield Police Department responded to a 911 call regarding an unresponsive …
NYC Man Sentenced To Life In Love-Triangle Murder Of Popular NJ Software Engineer NYC Man Sentenced To Life In Love-Triangle Murder Of Popular NJ Software Engineer
NYC Man Sentenced To Life In Love-Triangle Murder Of Popular NJ Software Engineer For more than 12 years since popular software engineer Robert Cantor was brutally murdered in his Teaneck home, his twice-convicted killer has neither admitted it nor expressed any remorse. Sui Kam “Tony” Tung, 60, now has whatever’s left of his life to spend with whatever feelings he has following his sentencing Friday in Hackensack. This past July, jurors in that same courtroom convicted Tung of murdering Cantor, with whom his wife had been having an affair, in March of 2011. Superior Court Judge Christopher Kazlau said he’d seen enough of Tung to not be surprised by his refusal to spea…
Charges Upgraded Against Teaneck Restaurant Manager In Double-Fatal DWI Crash Charges Upgraded Against Teaneck Restaurant Manager In Double-Fatal DWI Crash
Charges Upgraded Against Teaneck Restaurant Manager In Double-Fatal DWI Crash UPDATE: Authorities have upgraded charges against a Teaneck restaurant manager who they said was drunk when he slammed his speeding car into a tree, killing two of his passengers. Teddy Mejia, 32, originally was charged with death by auto following the horrific Oct. 21 crash that killed Rudy Rosales Escobar, 40, of Hasbrouck Heights, and Alexander Cosme Curruchich, 29, of Englewood. Investigators have since determined that Mejia was not only intoxicated but also speeding down Teaneck Road when his 2021 BMW M850i hit the tree – shearing off an entire limb – and rolled onto its roof near Bilt…
UPDATE: Ramifications Follow Arrests Of Tenafly Council President And Son On Child Porn Charges UPDATE: Ramifications Follow Arrests Of Tenafly Council President And Son On Child Porn Charges
Update: Ramifications Follow Arrests Of Tenafly Council President And Son On Child Porn Charges Shock waves spread from one corner of Bergen County to another with the arrests of Tenafly Council President Jeffrey D. Grossman and his son on child pornography charges following a raid Thursday at the family home. Jeff Grossman, 65, is a longtime elementary school teacher in Rochelle Park. Steven Grossman, 24, is a substitute teacher in the same district. Both men “used the Internet to view, download and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Their Oct. 11 arrests stem from an investigation …
Tenafly Council President And Son Jailed On Child Porn Charges Tenafly Council President And Son Jailed On Child Porn Charges
Tenafly Council President And Son Jailed On Child Porn Charges Tenafly Council President Jeffrey D. Grossman and his son, Steven, were both arrested and jailed on child pornography charges following a raid on the family home on Thursday. Shock waves were felt in the borough as well as in Rochelle Park, where Jeff Grossman, 65, is an elementary school teacher and his 24-year-old son a substitute teacher. Both men “used the Internet to view, download and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Their Oct. 11 arrests stem from an investigation by members of Mu…
South Jersey Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Woman At Route 46 Motel South Jersey Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Woman At Route 46 Motel
South Jersey Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Woman At Route 46 Motel A parking lot attendant from South Jersey was charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a South Hackensack motel. Austin Walker, 22, of Pennsville, was taken into custody last week, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said on Monday, Oct. 9. The prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit began investigating with township police following a complaint from a woman who said that Walker sexually assaulted her at the Horizon Inn on Route 46 on Aug. 1. Walker was booked into the Bergen County Jail on three counts of sexual assault through force or coercion on Oct. 5. Records show he was ordered rele…
New Milford Man, 80, Woman, 56, Killed In Murder-Suicide Officially ID'd New Milford Man, 80, Woman, 56, Killed In Murder-Suicide Officially ID'd
New Milford Man, 80, Woman, 56, Killed In Murder-Suicide Officially ID'd UPDATE: The identities of a couple found dead in a murder-suicide at a New Milford home over the weekend were confirmed by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. He didn't say who fired the shots. An apparent dispute led to an incendiary breakup between Giovanni “John” Emmolo, 80, and 56-year-old Marina Perez, multiple law enforcement and family sources told Daily Voice. Both were found dead of gunshot wounds at Emmolo's Myrtle Avenue home at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, after New Milford police were asked to conduct a welfare check, Musella said late Sunday afternoon, confirming a Daily V…
MURDER-SUICIDE: Man, Woman Found Dead In New Milford After Acrimonious Breakup MURDER-SUICIDE: Man, Woman Found Dead In New Milford After Acrimonious Breakup
Murder-suicide: Man, Woman Found Dead In New Milford After Acrimonious Breakup A dispute that led to an incendiary breakup ignited a murder-suicide in a private home in New Milford, multiple law enforcement and family sources told Daily Voice. Giovanni “John” Emmolo, 80, and 56-year-old Marina Perez were both found dead of gunshot wounds at his Myrtle Avenue home around 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, after New Milford police were asked to conduct a welfare check. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed their identities and the cause of death late Sunday afternoon. He didn't say who investigators believe fired the shots. Perez was shot from behind, a source with…
Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of NJ Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of NJ Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl
Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of NJ Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl A habitual offender killed a fellow Garfield resident by giving him bogus oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, authorities charged. Juhaan Justice Hammond, 30, is charged with strict liability for the drug-induced death this past Sunday of Ivan Santiago in Garfield, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on Friday, Sept. 22. Santiago and an unidentified second person were hospitalized after overdosing on Lincoln Place shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Musella said. Narcan was administered, the prosecutor said, adding that Santiago was pronounced dead at the hospital. Detectiv…
'Tragic Accident': Boy, 7, Killed In Upper-Floor Fall From NJ High-Rise 'Tragic Accident': Boy, 7, Killed In Upper-Floor Fall From NJ High-Rise
'Tragic Accident': Boy, 7, Killed In Upper-Floor Fall From NJ High-Rise UPDATE: The death of a 7-year-old boy who plunged from an upper-floor balcony of a Fort Lee high-rise was "the result of a tragic accident," Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. It was around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, when the boy fell from the 21st floor of the Hampshire House on Anderson Avenue at Whiteman Street, multiple sources told Daily Voice. The child was pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center, they said. "The circumstances surrounding the death...were the result of a tragic accident and no criminal activity was involved," Musella said Thursday follow…
Child Dies In NJ High-Rise Plunge Child Dies In NJ High-Rise Plunge
Child Dies In NJ High-Rise Plunge UPDATE: The death of a 7-year-old boy who plunged from an upper-floor balcony of a Fort Lee high-rise was "the result of a tragic accident," Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. It was around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, when the boy fell from the 21st floor of the Hampshire House on Anderson Avenue at Whiteman Street, multiple sources told Daily Voice. The child was pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center, they said. "The circumstances surrounding the death...were the result of a tragic accident and no criminal activity was involved," Musella said Thursday follow…
Home Invasion: Four Seized In Quick-Strike Raids In NJ, NY Home Invasion: Four Seized In Quick-Strike Raids In NJ, NY
Home Invasion: Four Seized In Quick-Strike Raids In NJ, NY GOTCHA! (UPDATE): An armed home invasion robbery in Maywood last November was cracked with the arrests of four men -- two of whom are from the Bronx and another from Westchester, authorities announced on Thursday. Three of the accused robbers forced their way into a Terrace Avenue home and demanded cash and valuables from the owner on Nov. 11, 2022, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. “One of the men pointed a semi-automatic firearm at one of the residents,” the prosecutor said. The masked trio fled with $32,000 in cash, a Cartier watch, a pair of Dolce & Gabbana shoes and…
NJ Real Estate Agent Bludgeoned With Baseball Bat, Stepson Charged With Murder NJ Real Estate Agent Bludgeoned With Baseball Bat, Stepson Charged With Murder
NJ Real Estate Agent Bludgeoned With Baseball Bat, Stepson Charged With Murder A 48-year-old Cresskill real estate agent was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat by her stepson, authorities confirmed Thursday. Borough police responding to a 911 call from her husband found the body of Irma Daniels in the family's Stonegate Trail townhouse shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She'd been struck in the head with a baseball bat by John A. Daniels Jr., 30, the prosecutor said. Daniels fled but was later taken into custody, the prosecutor said. His father, attorney John A. Daniels Sr., identified him as the killer. The …
Murder Committed At North Jersey Townhouse: Prosecutor Murder Committed At North Jersey Townhouse: Prosecutor
Murder Committed At North Jersey Townhouse: Prosecutor A 48-year-old Cresskill real estate agent was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat by her stepson, authorities confirmed Thursday. Borough police responding to a 911 call from her husband found the body of Irma Daniels in the family's Stonegate Trail townhouse shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She'd been struck in the head with a baseball bat by John A. Daniels Jr., 30, the prosecutor said. Daniels fled but was later taken into custody, the prosecutor said. His father, attorney John A. Daniels Sr., identified him as the killer. The …