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Thursday, dec 19
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36°
Thursday, dec 19
Tag:
Michael Pontillo
Police & Fire
'Dear Delusional': Westwood Man, 69, Harassed Local Citizens With Anonymous Letters, Police Say
A 69-year-old Westwood man waged a harassment campaign against citizens who expressed their opinions about various causes in local newspapers, sending anonymous letters to their homes, authorities charged. Bruce Manning sent the "Dear Delusional" letters to citizens in town and in neighboring Washington Township, Westwood Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. "These unsolicited anonymous letters were delivered directly to the recipient victims' homes, which was of great concern to [them]," the chief said. Manning was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 25, and charged with harassment. He was then rel…
News
SWAT Standoff In Westwood Ends With Arrest Of Shotgun-Toting Resident
A Westwood man was taken into custody after a brief standoff that began after police said he pointed a shotgun at someone on his street. The alleged victim told police that Brian McCarron had racked and pointed the weapon shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday, April 16, responders said. The reason was unclear. McCarron, in turn, told police that he was simply doing an armed "perimeter check" of his Fourth Avenue property, one responder said. Westwood Police Chief Michael Pontillo confirmed that responding officers surrounded the house after McCarron, 52, wouldn't answer the door. A Bergen County …
News
Suspicious Object Briefly Clears Westwood Shopping Plaza
What turned out to be a harmless homemade lighter cleared a Bergen County shopping plaza mid-Wednesday afternoon. The lighter, found in a clothing shipment at T.J. Maxx in Westwood, "may have accidentally been placed or fallen into the shipment at a warehouse prior to delivery," borough Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. The call came in at 2:51 p.m. Jan. 11. It brought Pontillo's officers, borough firefighters and the Bergen County Bomb Squad to the Westwood Plaza on Broadway, which includes a K-Mart, a a Wine Mart, a UPS store and an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, among other busines…
News
Police: Quartet From NYC Charged In Vicious Westwood Robbery
Two men were viciously beaten and robbed in Westwood by four New York City men -- all for a cellphone and a six-pack of beer -- authorities charged. Both victims were hospitalized with facial injuries after being jumped and pummeled outside a Chinese restaurant on Washington Avenue across from 3rd Avenue around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. One of them suffered a possible broken eye socket, responders at the scene said. Police quickly stopped the suspects’ SUV and captured the quartet on nearby Irvington Street, the chief said. Hillsdale and Washington Townshi…
News
Police Boost Presence At Westwood Regional HS Amid Alleged Threats
Police beefed up their presence at Westwood Regional High School following what some considered a threat triggered by an incident between students. It began after an 18-year-old student allegedly stole a cellphone from a younger one, multiple sources confirmed. The alleged victim and a friend grabbed the older student and beat him in a school hallway after lunch this past Tuesday, the sources said. The incident was captured on school surveillance cameras and student cellphone video, they said. His assailants apparently didn't know that the older student had previously sustained a traumati…
Police & Fire
Hero
: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool
UPDATE: A driver who was rescued by a Westwood police officer after her wagon crashed into a backyard swimming pool received a summons for careless driving, Police Chief Michael Pontillo said Thursday. The 32-year-old Emerson driver, whom he didn’t identify by name, was headed south on Lafayette Avenue when her 2021 Honda wagon crossed over the center line as it rounded the bend at Ridgewood Road around 3 a.m. Monday, Pontillo said. The Honda hit a curb, then crashed through a fence, a shed and another fence before barreling down a small retaining wall, onto the pool deck and into the…
Police & Fire
Hero
: Westwood Officer Rescues Emerson Driver After Car Plunges Into Backyard Pool
UPDATE: A driver who was rescued by a Westwood police officer after her wagon crashed into a backyard swimming pool received a summons for careless driving, Police Chief Michael Pontillo said Thursday. The 32-year-old Emerson driver, whom he didn’t identify by name, was headed south on Lafayette Avenue when her 2021 Honda wagon crossed over the center line as it rounded the bend at Ridgewood Road around 3 a.m. Monday, Pontillo said. The Honda hit a curb, then crashed through a fence, a shed and another fence before barreling down a small retaining wall, onto the pool deck and into the…
Police & Fire
Heroes
: Westwood Police, Good Sams Save Life Of Man Struck By Commuter Train
A 46-year-old Westwood man who responders said was drunk when he was whacked by a commuter train during an evening rainstorm owes his life to several heroes. Looking toward his second year as the borough’s top law enforcement officer, Chief Michael Pontillo says his own squad’s response to the incident "just shows the quality of officers we have in Westwood.” Praise also goes to a pair of good Samaritans who came to the man’s aid after he suffered a devastating pelvic injury around 8:15 p.m. Friday. Edson Zarte of Passaic, who witnessed the incident, tried using a belt as a tourniquet whil…
Police & Fire
Heroes
: Westwood Officers, Off-Duty State Police Major Rescue Choking Diner Patron
A Westwood diner patron was turning blue and not breathing after a piece of food got lodged in his throat on New Year’s Day. Off-duty New Jersey State Police Major Michael Rinaldi was rendering aid when Westwood Police Officers Greg Dorfman and Stephanie Laurent arrived at the Westwood Diner & Pancake House on Old Hook Road around 1:50 p.m. Tuesday. Rinaldi and the officers used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food, then did chest compressions to revive him, Police Chief Michael Pontillo said. Members of the Westwood Volunteer Ambulance Squad them took the man across the street …
Police & Fire
Westwood Police Chief Rebuts Mayor: Marijuana Isn't A Partisan Issue, It Doesn't Belong Here
LETTER to the EDITOR: "I was shocked and disappointed to read on the front cover of a local newspaper that I was accused by Mayor John Birkner of being involved in a partisan stunt with respect to the ordinance banning marijuana in Westwood. "Clearly, the marijuana issue is not a partisan one, as both Republican- and Democrat-controlled towns have both banned marijuana and its sales in the confines of their communities. "I have not been contacted by Mayor Birkner at any time about this issue or where my decision was derived from, nor, sadly, has he engaged in any discussion,…
Police & Fire
Westwood Police Donate Senior Van To Borough
You can’t see it just yet -- only a few more weeks to go -- but Westwood Police Chief Michael Pontillo suspects residents and business owners will be pleased with the borough's new senior van. The Westwood Police Officers Association picked up the cost of the van, “a great savings to taxpayers,” the chief said. It all began with a pedestrian safety campaign by Pontillo’s department that expanded to “enhance the safety of all people of this community,” the chief said. The vehicle was obtained “with the intention of a light cleanup, wrapping it to make an attractive outer appearance and publ…
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