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Port Authority Police Department

Grand Jury Declines To Indict Weehawken Officer Who Shot Paterson Man: Prosecutor Grand Jury Declines To Indict Weehawken Officer Who Shot Paterson Man: Prosecutor
Grand Jury Declines To Indict Weehawken Officer Who Shot Paterson Man: Prosecutor A Hudson County grand jury declined to indict a Weehawken police officer on Tuesday, Oct. 15  for shooting a Paterson man in August 2023, authorities said. Ricky Rivera, 20-year-old Paterson resident was shot by Sgt. Vincent Avoletta after hitting a police officer with a car on the early morning of Tuesday, August 1, authorities said. At 5 a.m. police were patrolling a neighborhood plagued by auto thefts, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. When police approached a suspicious vehicle parked in a driveway on Regency Place, Rivera fled the scene in the vehicle, striking an offic…
Belgian National Tried Breaking Into Cockpit On Flight From Newark Airport To Switzerland: Feds Belgian National Tried Breaking Into Cockpit On Flight From Newark Airport To Switzerland: Feds
Belgian National Tried Breaking Into Cockpit On Flight From Newark Airport To Switzerland: Feds A 43-year-old Belgian national is facing federal charges for trying to break into the cockpit of plane and assaulting flight attendants during a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Zurich, Switzerland, in March 2024, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Jan Daeninck, 43, was a passenger aboard a Swiss International Airlines flight on March 31 when, shortly after takeoff, he walked up to a female flight attendant, grabbed both of her breasts with his hands, shook her, and began yelling at her, according to witnesses and statements made in court.  After the flig…
Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For PAPD's First Hispanic Female Police Captain Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For PAPD's First Hispanic Female Police Captain
Stuffed Puppy Brings Life Full Circle For Papd's First Hispanic Female Police Captain His name is Bingo, and he's so much more than a toy puppy. The stuffed animal was gifted to Priscilla Sanchez when she was 10 by her older brother gifted her the stuffed toy as he prepared for deployment to Iraq. “I held onto that puppy every night," said Sanchez, 33, adding that the puppy became a symbol of her brother's sacrifice. “I knew I wanted to follow the same path.” This year, days before welcoming her third son, Sanchez was promoted to the Port Authority Police Department's first female captain of Hispanic heritage. And this time, Sanchez's sons wer…
Three Officers Attacked By Bergen County Carjacker On GWB: Prosecutor Three Officers Attacked By Bergen County Carjacker On GWB: Prosecutor
Three Officers Attacked By Bergen County Carjacker On GWB: Prosecutor One person was in custody after crashing a stolen car and fleeing in a vehicle that he carjacked before attacking three Port Authority Police officers on the George Washington Bridge overnight, authorities said. It all began around 2:35 a.m. in South Hackensack Sunday, Oct. 13, when officers were called to a Route 46 business for a crash and report of a stolen vehicle, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The car, which had been stolen out of New York City during an armed carjacking, was found abandoned as the driver fled and tried to steal another car, but was unsuccessful, Musella …
Would-Be Jumper Hospitalized After Closing Lanes Of George Washington Bridge (UPDATE) Would-Be Jumper Hospitalized After Closing Lanes Of George Washington Bridge (UPDATE)
Would-Be Jumper Hospitalized After Closing Lanes Of George Washington Bridge (Update) A would-be George Washington Bridge jumper was hospitalized Tuesday night, Sept. 24, after bringing traffic along the bridge to a halt, authorities said. A spokesperson for the Port Authority Police Department confirmed the investigation but not have any further information as of 7:40 p.m. Wednesday morning, a spokesperson said that the incident was reported at 5:42 p.m. near the 179th Street ramp in the westbound lanes. All lanes along the ramp were closed. The man was removed and taken to a local hospital, the PAPD said. Traffic resumed at 7:24 p.m.
Random Knife Attack At Newark Airport Leaves Woman Hospitalized, Man In Custody Random Knife Attack At Newark Airport Leaves Woman Hospitalized, Man In Custody
Random Knife Attack At Newark Airport Leaves Woman Hospitalized, Man In Custody A 54-year-old homeless man was arrested after attacking a stranger with a knife in Newark Liberty International Airport over the weekend, according to police and abc7. Jin Xiong left the woman with gashes on the right side of her face after attacking her in Terminal A departures level of the airport around 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, Port Authority Police Department spokeswoman Lenis Valens said. The victim, a North Carolina woman identified as 36-year-old Melissa Mauldin, said the man came up behind her and slashed her face "out of the blue," abc7 reports in an exclusive interview. Mauldin wa…
Repeat Offender Threatens To Bomb Child Welfare Buildings, Judges, Bergen Prosecutor Charges Repeat Offender Threatens To Bomb Child Welfare Buildings, Judges, Bergen Prosecutor Charges
Repeat Offender Threatens To Bomb Child Welfare Buildings, Judges, Bergen Prosecutor Charges A man who'd been previously accused of threatening Fair Lawn police and families on social media is back in custody after authorities said he took it to another level. Brandon M. Hernandez, 29, is now charged with threatening to "bomb and shoot" New Jersey Child Protection and Permanency buildings and Superior Court judges in Hackensack.  Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced in a news release that Cyber Crimes Unit detectives from his office began investigating a "pattern of social media posts" by Hernandez last November. He specifically cited NJCP&P buil…
Mom IDs Daughter, 21, As Victim Of NJ Car Crash Mom IDs Daughter, 21, As Victim Of NJ Car Crash
Mom IDs Daughter, 21, As Victim Of NJ Car Crash Support is on the rise for the family of a 21-year-old woman killed in a car accident days before Christmas. Diana Nicole Marrero Santiago, of South Amboy, died in the Sayreville accident on Friday, Dec. 22, according to her obituary and a GoFundMe campaign. Diana's mom, Aisha, is a chaplain with the Port Authority Police Department, the department said on Instagram. She is raising funds to have Diana buried in her homeland, Puerto Rico. "Diana was a bubbly and beautiful young woman who had unfortunate fatal accident," Aisha writes on the GoFundMe that she launched. "She was my only child …
NY Man Who Assaulted Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Gets 2 Years, No Parole NY Man Who Assaulted Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Gets 2 Years, No Parole
NY Man Who Assaulted Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Gets 2 Years, No Parole UPDATE: An upstate New York man who admitted assaulting a fellow passenger on a flight from Denver to Newark must spend two plea-bargained years in federal prison. Ryan Manuella, 30, of Erie County, “moved to a vacant center seat next to a female passenger, who was sitting in a window seat” on the April 16, 2021 flight, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Manuella, who didn't know the woman, then "touched the passenger without her consent," Sellinger said. "The victim then yelled at him and left the row of seats," the U.S. attorney said. Defense attorney Andrew Olesnyck…
Online NJ Romance Scammer Who Conned Woman Out Of $66,000 Gets More Than Two Years, No Parole Online NJ Romance Scammer Who Conned Woman Out Of $66,000 Gets More Than Two Years, No Parole
Online NJ Romance Scammer Who Conned Woman Out Of $66,000 Gets More Than Two Years, No Parole An Essex County man who helped swindle what he called a “filthy rich woman” out of nearly $66,000 in an online romance scam was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. Mahmoud Bowler, 40, of Newark, and an unidentified co-conspirator whom he grew up with in Ghana double-teamed the Florida victim over the course of nearly three years after connecting with her on an online dating site using a bogus profile name. Bowler then turned around and screwed his partner, keeping the majority of the money that they'd collected from the victim, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Phillip R. Sellinger said. …
GOTCHA! NJ Driver Busted A Second Time For Using Plate-Flipping Gizmo At GWB Tolls (VIDEO) GOTCHA! NJ Driver Busted A Second Time For Using Plate-Flipping Gizmo At GWB Tolls (VIDEO)
Gotcha! NJ Driver Busted A Second Time For Using Plate-Flipping Gizmo At GWB Tolls (Video) Port Authority police busted a New Jersey driver with a license plate flipper that they said he used to avoid the tolls at the George Washington Bridge – and it wasn’t the first time. The remote-controlled after-market electronic device is an ingenious invention (see video below). It flips the vehicle’s genuine license plate over to reveal a second plate when passing toll scanners. Authority police first caught Adam Jimenez, 22, using it in February, PANYNJ Spokesperson Lenis Valens said The Union County resident was charged with various offenses and later released, then was taken into c…
Kosher Bergen Chef Arrested At JFK Airport Days After Sex Assault Charges Dismissed: Officials Kosher Bergen Chef Arrested At JFK Airport Days After Sex Assault Charges Dismissed: Officials
Kosher Bergen Chef Arrested At JFK Airport Days After Sex Assault Charges Dismissed: Officials Just days after a judge dismissed charges against him, Bergen County kosher chef Shalom "Sal" Yehudiel was arrested again on similar, new ones, authorities said. Shalom "Sal" Yehudiel, 41, was arrested at Terminal One of JFK Airport on Tuesday, Aug. 8, Port Authority Spokesperson Lenis Valens said. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol notified PAPD that they had a fugitive in custody with a warrant out in New Jersey, Valens said. Yehudiel was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, announced Union…
Rush-Hour Baby Born At Lincoln Tunnel Entrance With Help From Port Authority Police Rush-Hour Baby Born At Lincoln Tunnel Entrance With Help From Port Authority Police
Rush-Hour Baby Born At Lincoln Tunnel Entrance With Help From Port Authority Police A young Port Authority police officer had never delivered a baby before -- but there's a first time for everything. Responding to an emergency call at the Lincoln Tunnel toll plaza shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, July 17, PAPD Officer Timothy Jozefczyk was met by a panicked driver who said his partner was in labor and bleeding, authority Spokeswoman Lenis Valens said. Jozefczyk talked Maria Marin through it, telling her to keep pushing, Valens said, and within three minutes a healthy boy had been born. Kylian Aaron Guallpa Castano weighed in at six pounds, nine ounces for those at home who a…
Upstate NY Man Admits Assaulting Female Passenger On Flight To Newark Upstate NY Man Admits Assaulting Female Passenger On Flight To Newark
Upstate NY Man Admits Assaulting Female Passenger On Flight To Newark A New York State man admitted assaulting a female passenger on a flight to Newark Airport, federal authorities in New Jersey said. Ryan Manuella, 30, "moved to a vacant seat next to a female passenger and touched the passenger without her consent" on a flight from Denver on April 16, 2021, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Manuella -- of the Erie County town of Cheektowaga, just northeast of Buffalo -- didn't know the woman, according to a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark. The victim then yelled at him and left the row of seats, Sellinger said. Manuella took a deal…
Bergen Ex-Con Tried Boarding Newark Flight With AR-15, Taser, Fake US Marshal Creds, More: Feds Bergen Ex-Con Tried Boarding Newark Flight With AR-15, Taser, Fake US Marshal Creds, More: Feds
Bergen Ex-Con Tried Boarding Newark Flight With AR-15, Taser, Fake US Marshal Creds, More: Feds A convicted felon from Bergen County was seized while trying to bring two rifles, a handgun, a Taser, a switchblade and bogus U.S. Marshals credentials onto a flight from Newark to Fort Lauderdale, federal authorities said. Seretse Clouden, 42, of Wallington had a .308-caliber DPMS Panther Arms rifle, a 5.56-caliber AR-15 rifle, a .40-caliber Glock 22 handgun and the phony creds -- which bore his name, photograph and a U.S. Marshal badge -- in his checked baggage, the FBI charged in a complaint. His bags also contained a ballistic vest that said "Deputy Marshal," two magazines containing 15…
Feds: NY Ex-Con Who Tried To Get Loaded Gun By Newark Airport Security Gets 3 Years, No Parole Feds: NY Ex-Con Who Tried To Get Loaded Gun By Newark Airport Security Gets 3 Years, No Parole
Feds: NY Ex-Con Who Tried To Get Loaded Gun By Newark Airport Security Gets 3 Years, No Parole An ex-con from New York must spend the next three years in federal prison, with no parole, for trying to slip a loaded, stolen gun and lots of ammunition past a security checkpoint at Newark Airport. Desmond Herring, 48, of Newburgh made a beeline for his gate when a TSA officer staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor found the loaded weapon -- along with boxes of ammo -- in his carry-on bag on Nov. 29, 2021, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said. Port Authority police collected the bag and examined its contents, the TSA said at the time. Along with the 9mm pistol were 10 rou…
Commuters, Others Warm Up With Port Authority Police At 'Coffee With A Cop' Commuters, Others Warm Up With Port Authority Police At 'Coffee With A Cop'
Commuters, Others Warm Up With Port Authority Police At 'Coffee With A Cop' Lines were long at Newark Airport one recent morning, but not for the usual reason. Port Authority police put a twist on the "Coffee With a Cop" initiative by taking java and donuts directly to the public. Instead of meeting with community members at a local coffee shop, the PAPD fanned out to the area transportation hubs that the men and women in blue protect. Port Authority police "Coffee With A Cop" at Newark International Airport.PORT AUTHORITY PD Sweetening the morning Joe were safety and crime prevention tips and other information provided by PAPD command members at: Newark, JF…
'Armed, Dangerous' Fugitive Wanted For Shooting GF In Texas Captured At GWB 'Armed, Dangerous' Fugitive Wanted For Shooting GF In Texas Captured At GWB
'Armed, Dangerous' Fugitive Wanted For Shooting GF In Texas Captured At GWB An armed fugitive who fled Texas to New York City after shooting his girlfriend was captured by Bergen County detectives at the entrance to the lower level of the George Washington Bridge, authorities said. Dwayne Kevin Sharlow, 55, was swiftly scooped up by Narcotic Task Force members who stopped his rented car at 1:52 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella confirmed Monday. They were assisted by a Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, he said. Sharlow, of Prosper, TX, had apparently come up Route 95, headed for New York City, authorities said. The victim survived after …
Fugitive Who Sexually Assaulted 12-Year-Old Girl Nabbed At Newark Airport: Prosecutor Fugitive Who Sexually Assaulted 12-Year-Old Girl Nabbed At Newark Airport: Prosecutor
Fugitive Who Sexually Assaulted 12-Year-Old Girl Nabbed At Newark Airport: Prosecutor A 26-year-old Union City man wanted out of North Carolina for armed robbery has been charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, authorities said. Hermes Navarro-Cuevas was arrested by members of Homeland Security Investigations at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark on Friday, May 13 around 12:40 a.m., Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The crimes occurred in January and February 2022, authorities said. Navarro-Cuevas knew his victim, authorities said. He was remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny and on sex assault…
K9 'Recruits' Honor Fallen Port Authority Police Officers K9 'Recruits' Honor Fallen Port Authority Police Officers
K9 'Recruits' Honor Fallen Port Authority Police Officers The names of three fallen Port Authority police officers live on in a trio of two-year-old German Shepherds who became the latest additions to the PAPD. Cirri, Vinny and Penny will assist in searching for explosives at the agency’s facilities as part of the Port Authority’s counter-terrorism efforts, Port Authority Spokesperson Lenis Valens said. The three K9 teams went through 14 weeks of explosives detection training and now join the PAPD K9 Unit, which protects the people of New York, New Jersey and the millions using Port Authority facilities daily. “These K9 teams will perform their…
Ex-Con From NY State Admits Trying To Get Loaded Gun Through Newark Airport Security Ex-Con From NY State Admits Trying To Get Loaded Gun Through Newark Airport Security
Ex-Con From NY State Admits Trying To Get Loaded Gun Through Newark Airport Security An ex-con from New York admitted trying to slip a loaded, stolen gun through the security checkpoint at Newark Airport late last year, authorities said. Desmond Herring, 48, of Newburgh, NY made a beeline for his gate when a TSA officer staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor found the loaded weapon -- along with boxes of ammo -- in his carry-on bag on Nov. 29, 2021, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said. Port Authority police collected the bag and examined its contents, the TSA said at the time. Along with the 9mm pistol were 10 rounds loaded into a magazine, along with anot…
Port Authority PD Welcomes Newest Members Of Specialized Squadron Port Authority PD Welcomes Newest Members Of Specialized Squadron
Port Authority PD Welcomes Newest Members Of Specialized Squadron A dozen new members were welcomed into the Port Authority Police Emergency Services Unit at a Newark Airport graduation ceremony that followed 30 weeks of rigorous training. The officers now specialize in tactical response, active shooter response, high-angle rescue, motor vehicle accident extrication, hazardous materials and confined space rescue, PAPD Spokesperson Lenis Valens said. They are also proficient in tubular tactical operations involving trains and aircraft, Valens said. Two new officers from the Morris County Sheriff's Office and two from the Jersey City Police Department tr…
Feds Seize More Than 2,000 Pounds Of Cocaine In Major NJ, NY Bust Feds Seize More Than 2,000 Pounds Of Cocaine In Major NJ, NY Bust
Feds Seize More Than 2,000 Pounds Of Cocaine In Major NJ, NY Bust Three men are facing charges for their roles in a multi-million dollar drug conspiracy ring with ties to New Jersey that led to the seizure of more than a ton (nearly 2,000 pounds) of cocaine, officials announced. ALSO READ: Drug Bust Nets 8 Pounds Of Cocaine, $650K Cash, 7 Guns, 24 Arrests Across NJ, NY: Prosecutor Jorge Aponte-Guzman, age 33, Nelson Agramonte,-Minaya, age 37, and Carlos Maisonet-Lopez, age 32, have been indicted in federal court this week following their arrests in September that led to the seizure of 920 kilograms of cocaine. 
“A seizure of this magnitude undersco…
KIDNAPPING: Driver Seized On Route 46 After Abducting Giants Game Companion, Police Report KIDNAPPING: Driver Seized On Route 46 After Abducting Giants Game Companion, Police Report
Kidnapping: Driver Seized On Route 46 After Abducting Giants Game Companion, Police Report An intense police search for a domestic violence victim who was abducted in Lyndhurst following Sunday’s Giants game ended with her Hudson County captor captured at gunpoint on Route 46, responders said. Iran Iznaga Garabito shoved the domestic violence victim into a Chevy wagon and drove her around for nearly an hour with the child safety locks on before she escaped at the network of ramps that connect highways in Ridgefield Park, authorities said. The 25-year-old Cuban national then chased her on foot through the grass median and halfway across Route 46 before a Port Authority police offi…
NYC Subway Bomber Sentenced To Life Plus 30 Years NYC Subway Bomber Sentenced To Life Plus 30 Years
NYC Subway Bomber Sentenced To Life Plus 30 Years A would-be suicide bomber who detonated a device strapped to his chest in a crowded subway station near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan was sentenced Thursday to life in prison plus 30 years. Judge Richard J. Sullivan said the punishment fit the “heinous crime” when he sentenced Akayed Ullah for the December 2017 attack in subway tunnels beneath Times Square and the bus terminal. Ullah, a 31-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant, began researching how to build a bomb about a year before the attack, federal authorities said. That morning, packed a homemade device with metal screws bef…
First Responders Rush To Rescue Bayonne Bridge Jumper First Responders Rush To Rescue Bayonne Bridge Jumper
First Responders Rush To Rescue Bayonne Bridge Jumper Responders rushed to rescue a person who jumped from the Bayonne Bridge just before 2 p.m. Saturday. Arriving units found individuals on a tug boat in the Kill van Kull pulling the victim aboard, located just east of the bridge, Bayonne Fire Department Deputy Chief Bill Bartos said. Bayonne Fire Boat Marine 1 pulled up aside the vessel and transferred the person to their boat.  Firefighters provided medical care on the person as they headed towards the boat launch at 16th Street Park, where they were met by EMS. The unidentified individual did not survive, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Da…
Dr. Oz Helps Port Authority PD Resuscitate Stricken Traveler At Newark Airport Dr. Oz Helps Port Authority PD Resuscitate Stricken Traveler At Newark Airport
Dr. Oz Helps Port Authority PD Resuscitate Stricken Traveler At Newark Airport Celebrity physician Dr. Oz helped Port Authority police resuscitate a stricken traveler at Newark Airport, authorities said. PAPD Officer Jeffrey Croissant saw the 60-year-old New Jersey man go down in the Terminal A baggage claim area shortly after 11 p.m. Monday, authority spokeswoman Lenis Valens said. He "looked like a tree falling," the officer said. Croissant rushed over and found the man wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse, Valens said. The officer summoned backup, began CPR and was joined by Mehmet Oz, who’d just gotten off the flight and was at the carousel when he saw the c…
Port Authority Chairman, Companions Praise Cedar Grove High School's 9/11 Remembrance Port Authority Chairman, Companions Praise Cedar Grove High School's 9/11 Remembrance
Port Authority Chairman, Companions Praise Cedar Grove High School's 9/11 Remembrance Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole made a special visit to his alma mater, Cedar Grove High School, to celebrate an annual tradition -- planting miniature American flags outside the school to remember and pay tribute to the victims of 9/11. “Having seen this extraordinary display, I said we needed to do something to honor the school and its students,” said O’Toole, Class of ’82. “This is about the kids and we thank them for this great project, for their wonderful civic-mindedness and their patriotism.” The sixth annual “Cedar Grove Waves” installation “is a source of pride, a sign of ho…
Colleagues, Others Cheer Recovery Of PAPD Officer Critically Injured By Drunk Driver Colleagues, Others Cheer Recovery Of PAPD Officer Critically Injured By Drunk Driver
Colleagues, Others Cheer Recovery Of Papd Officer Critically Injured By Drunk Driver A Port Authority police officer who was struck and critically injured by a drunk driver in Jersey City got a rousing clapout as he left a rehab center less than a month later. PAPD Officer Peter Siano III went into the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange on May 13 and was up and walking around the very next day, colleagues said. “We are delighted of the progress PAPD Officer Peter Siano has made in the last 28 days since the incident,” PAPD Supt. Edward Cetnar said. “His perseverance has inspired us all.” Siano was assisting a trio of Jersey City police officers who were in…
Port Authority K9 Crew Surprises Girl, 12, With Cancer Port Authority K9 Crew Surprises Girl, 12, With Cancer
Port Authority K9 Crew Surprises Girl, 12, With Cancer A 12-year-old girl with cancer who hopes to someday be a K9 police officer got a hero’s welcome from a group of four- and two-legged Port Authority officers when she showed up for treatment the other day. Three teams of PAPD K9 handlers and their dogs were among those cheering when April Quezada arrived at the Maimonides Cancer Center in Brooklyn. Named an honorary PAPD K9 police officer, April received a plaque, a certificate and a unit banner that she could hang in her room. She also got custom dog tags with her name on them, her own police nameplate, PAPD K9 shirts and other mementos. …
Port Authority Police Officer Critical After Being Struck Near Holland Tunnel Port Authority Police Officer Critical After Being Struck Near Holland Tunnel
Port Authority Police Officer Critical After Being Struck Near Holland Tunnel A Port Authority police officer struck by a passing driver while assisting at the scene of an overnight rollover crash on the approach to the Holland Tunnel from Route 139 was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon authorities said. The officer and three Jersey City police officers were securing the scene after a 32-year-old New York woman overturned her car just after 12:30 a.m. when another eastbound driver struck the median divider, a JCPD vehicle and then the Port Authority officer near Palisade Avenue, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The driver, a 27-year-old New York wom…