Fog/Mist 47°
Police & Fire
Everyone OK In Overnight East Rutherford House Fire Everyone OK In Overnight East Rutherford House Fire
Everyone OK In Overnight East Rutherford House Fire Fears of a possibly trapped resident proved unfounded during an overnight house fire in East Rutherford. First-floor residents were vacating the two-family home on Rose Street near Paterson Avenue as first responders arrived at 2:35 a.m., Police Capt. Jeff Yannacone said. A search determined there was no one home upstairs, where the two-alarm kitchen fire originated, he said. Firefighters had the fire doused in under a half hour. No injuries were reported. Mutual aid was provided by firefighters from Carlstadt, Passaic, Rutherford and Wallington. A cause wasn't immediately disclosed…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Firefighters Hospitalized, Blaze Destroys Passaic Home As Temps Break 90 Degrees Firefighters Hospitalized, Blaze Destroys Passaic Home As Temps Break 90 Degrees
Firefighters Hospitalized, Blaze Destroys Passaic Home As Temps Break 90 Degrees Four firefighters were hospitalized after battling an intense five-alarm blaze that destroyed a multi-family home amid blistering temperatures Wednesday afternoon in Passaic. The quartet was believed to be getting treatment for heat exhaustion, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said from the scene of the fire on Union Avenue between Park Avenue and Spring Street. One was brought out and rushed to the hospital by ambulance following a mayday call. The extent of injuries couldn't be immediately determined. 67 Union Avenue, PassaicJeff Gumbman / INSET: Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora Onl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Best Weiners In Town? Three Friends Open Hackensack Hot Dog Joint Best Weiners In Town? Three Friends Open Hackensack Hot Dog Joint
Best Weiners In Town? Three Friends Open Hackensack Hot Dog Joint Three Hackensack men claim to have the best weiners in town. Herbert Lamont Barr III, Jeremy Fardella and Matthew Bellifemine, all longtime friends, have opened Hackensack Hot Dogs at 7 State St., serving up deep fried dogs with a variety of different flavors. Barr is a lifelong native of Hackensack with deep roots in the city. Previously working in financial technology, he had longed to open his own eatery and finally found an opportunity. "This is a complete change of pace for me," Barr said. "But it's all the same to me, it's work." View this post on Instagram …

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by Sam Barron
Business
'Fat Bastard' Carries On Family's Famed Thin Crust Pizza In Bergen County 'Fat Bastard' Carries On Family's Famed Thin Crust Pizza In Bergen County
'Fat Bastard' Carries On Family's Famed Thin Crust Pizza In Bergen County The Giaquintos are back in South Hackensack with their trademark thin crust pizza. Anthony Giaquinto, whose roots in Bergen County's pizza scene run deep, has opened Fat Bastard and Sons at 434 Route 46, continuing a family legacy of pizzerias.  Giaquinto previously ran Tony G's in South Hackensack, The Balcony in Carlstadt, G Millz in Hoboken and Prime Time Sports Bar in Carlstadt. Giaquinto's mother, Mary Rose Giaquinto, was the longtime owner of Giaquinto's Old Judge, an institution in South Hackensack.  Now, Giaquinto is running Fat Bastard with his two sons, Dominick, a student at M…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Firefighter Injured In Vacant Garden Apartment Blaze In Hasbrouck Heights UPDATE: Firefighter Injured In Vacant Garden Apartment Blaze In Hasbrouck Heights
Update: Firefighter Injured In Vacant Garden Apartment Blaze In Hasbrouck Heights Two firefighters were injured when part of a ceiling collapsed during a fire that destroyed a vacant garden apartment Thursday morning in Hasbrouck Heights, responders said. The injuries didn't appear life-threatening, they said, after the Skyline Apartments blaze at 20 Terrace Avenue was doused shortly before 10:30 a.m. May 11. Firefighters found the bedroom and bathroom fully involved barely a half-hour earlier. Investigators were summoned to the scene given the circumstances -- however, the cause was determined to be accidental. The mutual aid responders reported to Daily Voice as of t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Serial NJ Phony Fire Inspector Has Yet To Learn His Lesson, Police In DC Say Serial NJ Phony Fire Inspector Has Yet To Learn His Lesson, Police In DC Say
Serial NJ Phony Fire Inspector Has Yet To Learn His Lesson, Police In DC Say He's a little bit older and a little bit grayer, but Michael Carrion is the same phony fire inspector now that he was in 2018, authorities in Washington DC say. Carrion, who was being held at Riker's Island for a parole violation when he was being sought out of various New Jersey towns in 2018, is now wanted out of the nation's capital for pulling the same stunt that landed him in trouble with the law back then. CarrionMUGSHOT: Courtesy WAYNE PD This time, 56-year-old Carrion posed as a fire inspector at a DC bagel shop on April 21, and left with nearly $1,000 in cash, according to DC N…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Eight Best Places To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo In North Jersey Eight Best Places To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo In North Jersey
Eight Best Places To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo In North Jersey Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner.  Whether it's nachos, tacos or margaritas you're looking for, there are plenty of spots in North Jersey to try. Here are some of the most popular restaurants in the area. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Charrito’s (@loscharritos_) Here are some of the highest rated Mexican restaurants on Yelp and Google to try: La Fortaleza, Carlstadt, Lodi, Garfield, Passaic, Clifton Central Taqueria, Morristown Viva Margarita, Hackensack, Edgewater, Cliffside Park, Wallington Los Charritos, Weehaw…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Wanted Suspect Caught After Ramming Wallington Police Car In Escape Attempt Wanted Suspect Caught After Ramming Wallington Police Car In Escape Attempt
Wanted Suspect Caught After Ramming Wallington Police Car In Escape Attempt A suspect wanted out of Carlstadt rammed a Wallington police car with her SUV in an escape attempt before she was chased down in East Rutherford, authorities said. Officer Kasper Zielinski spotted accused shoplifter Amy Putrino, 38, of Paterson, leaving the GNC store on Paterson Avenue, Police Chief Carmello J. Imbruglia said on Tuesday, April 25. The purple-haired Putrino, who fit the description of a woman wanted by Carlstadt police, got into a distinctive-looking Honda Element cited in their alert, the chief said. Zielinski "started to pull closer to her vehicle in his patrol unit when …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Trio With Stolen Checks, IDs Flees Carlstadt Bank, Nabbed By Hasbrouck Heights PD: Police Trio With Stolen Checks, IDs Flees Carlstadt Bank, Nabbed By Hasbrouck Heights PD: Police
Trio With Stolen Checks, IDs Flees Carlstadt Bank, Nabbed By Hasbrouck Heights PD: Police A trio of thieves who’d been burglarizing vehicles parked outside New Jersey gyms had paper and tape covering their license plate when they tried to cash a stolen check at a Carlstadt bank, authorities said. Were they ever in for a surprise. The trio was still at the drive-up window when the manager of Lakeland Bank called police, Acting Police Chief Thomas Cox said. Discovering the holder’s account frozen, the teller refused to cash the $1,300 check and the trio drove off, the chief said. Borough police issued a Be on the Lookout (BOLO) for their blue Altima, which Hasbrouck Heights Poli…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Woman Found Dead In Meadowlands Area Motel Room Woman Found Dead In Meadowlands Area Motel Room
Woman Found Dead In Meadowlands Area Motel Room Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a female guest in a hotel room near the Meadowlands. Concerns were raised after her companion was nowhere to be found following the overnight discovery of the body Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the Super 8 Motel on Washington Avenue near Route 120 in Carlstadt. Responders said they suspect a drug overdose, but that determination will have to be made by the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office after toxicology tests are completed. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said his Major Crimes Unit is investigating. The woman's…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Carlstadt PD Rescues Kidnapped Woman Forced Into Prostitution At Meadowlands-Area Motel Carlstadt PD Rescues Kidnapped Woman Forced Into Prostitution At Meadowlands-Area Motel
Carlstadt PD Rescues Kidnapped Woman Forced Into Prostitution At Meadowlands-Area Motel A missing woman who’d been held against her will and forced into prostitution at a local motel was rescued by Carlstadt police who arrested her combative captor, authorities said. Officer Matthew Bartlett responded to the Super 8 on Washington Avenue just north of Route 120 after the woman’s cell phone was traced there, Acting Police Chief Thomas Cox said on Monday, Feb. 13. Bartlett spoke with employees, then was joined at the motel by backup Officers James Winand and Anthony Rivezzi, the acting chief said. They found the woman with Kevin Williams, 32, of Newark, he said. Williams initia…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Police ID Victim, Hit-Run Driver In Carlstadt Accident Police ID Victim, Hit-Run Driver In Carlstadt Accident
Police ID Victim, Hit-Run Driver In Carlstadt Accident A 70-year-old waiter from Passaic has been charged in a Bergen County crash that left a 61-year-old pedestrian dead, authorities announced. Justinian Cuevasmetemi was behind the wheel  of a 2017 Toyota RAV-4 when he struck Deborah Peko-Lillis, of Secaucus, on Hoboken Road in Carlstadt around 10:20 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, then fled the scene, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Peko-Lillis of Secaucus was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead as a result of the crash, Musella said. Cuevasmetemi was found Saturday, Jan. 21 and c…

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by Cecilia Levine