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Police & Fire
Resident Tackles Drunk Driver From NY Who Bailed After Sedan Hit Clifton Home: Police Resident Tackles Drunk Driver From NY Who Bailed After Sedan Hit Clifton Home: Police
Resident Tackles Drunk Driver From NY Who Bailed After Sedan Hit Clifton Home: Police The serenity of a sleeping family was shattered when a sedan slammed into a Clifton home near the Garden State Parkway and the driver bailed, authorities said. The driver -- a 37-year-old New York man from Yonkers -- ran following the loud crash on Hazel Street off Madeline Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, Clifton Police Lt. Robert Anderson said. A resident chased him down and held onto him, however, Anderson said. Clifton police and firefighters converged on the scene along with Passaic County sheriff officers. A sheriff's officer found the driver, Anthony Deleon, being det…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Driver Who Hit Pedestrian In River Vale Charged With Assault By Auto, DWI Driver Who Hit Pedestrian In River Vale Charged With Assault By Auto, DWI
Driver Who Hit Pedestrian In River Vale Charged With Assault By Auto, DWI A Mahwah driver with a criminal history was drunk when he struck a pedestrian in River Vale, authorities said. Nicholas M. Manuele, 27, was charged with assault by auto and DWI in a school zone following the early evening crash on Demarest Avenue on Wednesday, Oct. 25, River Vale Police Chief Christopher Bulger said. Hillsdale police took the initial call and contacted their River Vale colleagues, the chief said. The pedestrian was treated at the scene and brought to a local hospital with injuries that Bulger said weren't life-threatening. Manuele, already had a history of mostly drug-rel…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Schools
Rochelle Park School Board Member Running For Municipal Office Busted For DWI Rochelle Park School Board Member Running For Municipal Office Busted For DWI
Rochelle Park School Board Member Running For Municipal Office Busted For DWI A Rochelle Park Board of Education member who's running for a seat on the Township Committee was busted for DWI earlier this month, police records show. Officers responding to a call found a Toyota SUV with a green light idling in a left-turn lane on Railroad Avenue shortly before 4 a.m. Oct. 7, according to a report filed by one of them. Jorge A. Martinez Jr. was alone in the vehicle and had his head down as they pulled, the officers said. Once they did, Martinez suddenly turned onto Rochelle Avenue headed north, they said. They pulled him over near the Rochelle Park firehouse. Mart…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Hasbrouck Heights PD: Driver In DWI Crash Had Kids With Him Hasbrouck Heights PD: Driver In DWI Crash Had Kids With Him
Hasbrouck Heights PD: Driver In DWI Crash Had Kids With Him A drunk driver had two children with him when he crashed into a parked car overnight on a Hasbrouck Heights street, authorities said. Corey Curry, 34, of Paterson was behind the wheel of a 2012 Infiniti that struck a parked car on Franklin Avenue shortly before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, Hasbrouck Heights Lt. John Behr said. The uninjured youngsters -- both under 10 years old -- were picked up by a family member while police were dealing with him, the lieutenant said. Curry was arrested and charged with DWI, refusing to submit to a breath test, reckless driving, and having an open contain…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Driver, 26, In West Milford Crash Charged With DWI Driver, 26, In West Milford Crash Charged With DWI
Driver, 26, In West Milford Crash Charged With DWI A driver whose sedan slammed into a utility pole on a busy West Milford road was hospitalized and charged with DWI, authorities said. Officers responding to the crash at the corner of Macopin Road and Westbrook Road found a significantly damaged 2011 Volkswagen Jetta on Aug. 25. The driver, Klarissa Burwell, 26, of West Milford, showed signs of impairment, according to a township police news release. She was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center while police prepared charges and summonses for DWI, reckless driving, failing to maintain a lane and careless driving causing property …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
DWI Driver From Waldwick Rams Parked Optimum Truck Near Rockland Line In Montvale: Police DWI Driver From Waldwick Rams Parked Optimum Truck Near Rockland Line In Montvale: Police
DWI Driver From Waldwick Rams Parked Optimum Truck Near Rockland Line In Montvale: Police A Waldwick woman was loaded when she plowed her car into the back of a parked utility truck in Montvale over the Labor Day weekend, authorities said. Sage Petersen, 27, was headed north on Chestnut Ridge Road toward Rockland County when her vehicle rammed an Optimum truck parked along the shoulder while a worker surveyed a pole just after midnight Saturday, Sept. 2, Montvale Police Lt. Chris Hawken said.The Optimum worker avoided injury when he jumped out of the way, the lieutenant said. The first officer at the scene "immediately detected the odor of alcohol as the driver was standing outs…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
DWI Off-Duty Officer Charged In Double-Fatal Somerset County Crash, Victims IDd: Prosecutor DWI Off-Duty Officer Charged In Double-Fatal Somerset County Crash, Victims IDd: Prosecutor
DWI Off-Duty Officer Charged In Double-Fatal Somerset County Crash, Victims IDd: Prosecutor An off-duty Edison police officer was charged with vehicular homicide in connection with one of the two double-fatal crashes that occurred in Somerset County over the weekend, authorities announced. Amitoj Oberoi, 29, of Somerset, was charged with two counts of first-degree vehicular homicide, as well as DWI, and several motor vehicle violations, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said Wednesday, Aug. 30. Oberoi is employed as an Edison police officer and was off-duty at the time of the crash, the prosecutor said. Oberoi was driving a 2007 Audi Q7 heading southbound on Somerset St…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
MADD Honors Montvale Officer As This Year's Bergen 'Top Cop' Against Drunk And Impaired Driving MADD Honors Montvale Officer As This Year's Bergen 'Top Cop' Against Drunk And Impaired Driving
MADD Honors Montvale Officer As This Year's Bergen 'Top Cop' Against Drunk And Impaired Driving Making the most DWI arrests in all of Bergen County brought Montvale Police Officer Robert Klecha kudos from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Klecha received a Top Cop Award Of Excellence from MADD NJ during a ceremony at Rutgers University last Thursday, June 22. The officer's own department praised Klecha's "commitment and dedication in reducing the amount of DWI/DUI's in Bergen County." "His diligence and professionalism have saved countless lives," Montvale police added. Hundreds of police and state troopers from around New Jersey were honored at the event. All of the officers were nom…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Schools
New Oradell Biz Administrator With Regretful Past 'Deserves This Chance,' Board Prez Says New Oradell Biz Administrator With Regretful Past 'Deserves This Chance,' Board Prez Says
New Oradell Biz Administrator With Regretful Past 'Deserves This Chance,' Board Prez Says The president of the Oradell Board of Education said Monday that district officials are confident their new business administrator will succeed despite a regretful past. Peter Iapelli, who was appointed to the post earlier this month, "deserves this chance," Oradell School Board President Dorothy Watson-Nichols said, adding that the panel "conducted its due diligence" in hiring him. Iapelli made headlines when he was accused of cursing out and putting his hands on a 16-year-old coach in front of 75 or so people at a peewee flag football game in Westwood in September 2017. Iapelli, who’d b…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
DWI Paramus Motorist Charged In Head-On Crash That Severely Injured Other Driver: Police DWI Paramus Motorist Charged In Head-On Crash That Severely Injured Other Driver: Police
DWI Paramus Motorist Charged In Head-On Crash That Severely Injured Other Driver: Police A drunken motorist had already hit a few vehicles when his SUV veered into oncoming traffic and slammed head-on into another in Paramus, seriously injuring the other driver, authorities said. Police were headed to the scene of an erratic driver behind the wheel of a Toyota Sienna on Farview Avenue shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, May 15, Paramus Deputy Police Chief Robert M. Guidetti said. Manchung P. Poon, 42, of Paramus struck a few vehicles on Rochelle Avenue near Passaic Street, then turned around and headed north on Farview, the deputy chief said. It then crossed the double-yellow line a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Parked Car Struck By One DWI Motorist, Sedan Driven On Rim By Another: South Hackensack PD Parked Car Struck By One DWI Motorist, Sedan Driven On Rim By Another: South Hackensack PD
Parked Car Struck By One DWI Motorist, Sedan Driven On Rim By Another: South Hackensack PD South Hackensack police netted a trio of DWI arrests within several hours of one another, including one involving a motorist who hit a parked vehicle and another one who was driving on three wheels and a rim. Luis Negron Jr., 42, of Plainfield was arrested by Officer Chris Locarno after he failed a field sobriety test following a stop on South Main Street assisted by Lodi police shortly after midnight Sunday, April 30, Detective Sgt. James Donatello said. Negron’s Nissan Maxima was temporarily impounded and he was released to a responsible adult under John’s Law. Just about two hours later…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
DWI Wife Fatally Ran Over Husband With Car In Somerset County: Prosecutor DWI Wife Fatally Ran Over Husband With Car In Somerset County: Prosecutor
DWI Wife Fatally Ran Over Husband With Car In Somerset County: Prosecutor A Somerset County woman was DWI when fatally ran her husband over with a car in February 2023, authorities said. Amanda O'Keefe, 37, had a blood alcohol level over the legal limit when she ran over her husband, Robert O'Keefe, 41, in Hillsborough on Saturday, Feb. 25, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Robert was pronounced dead outside of his Clark Lane home around 2:30 a.m., McDonald said. O'Keefe surrendered to authorities on Wednesday, March, 29, on charges of second-degree death by auto. She was lodged in the Somerset County Jail and released on Thur…

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by Cecilia Levine