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Mark Musella Sworn In As Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella Sworn In As Bergen County Prosecutor
Mark Musella Sworn In As Bergen County Prosecutor Bergen County has a new chief of law enforcement. Meet Mark Musella, who was sworn in Monday as Bergen County's new prosecutor. Musella got his start as a law clerk for Judge Ralph A. Polito. He worked as an assistant prosecutor from September 1988 to June 1994, eventually serving as assistant chief of the trial and grand jury sections. During his tenure, he prosecuted 50 jury trials, and handled hundreds of pleas, sentences, bails and motions. He also presented cases to the grand jury. Since 1994, Musella has worked as an attorney in criminal and civil litigation and has served as m…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
NJ Police Community Affairs Association Graduates 30+ Students Trained In Bergen NJ Police Community Affairs Association Graduates 30+ Students Trained In Bergen
NJ Police Community Affairs Association Graduates 30+ Students Trained In Bergen Students from more than 30 universities and colleges were graduated last week from a Law Enforcement Career Development Course sponsored by the state Police Community Affairs Officers Association. The students completed 10 weeks of intense preparation by the staffs of Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo and Sheriff Anthony Cureton. It was the Police Community Affairs Officers Association's 10th year of operating the program in the region, said President William Schievella. "To date we have graduated more than 800 college students who have attended this free training," Schievella sa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Sheriff Meets With County Leaders, Local Law Enforcement To Review Ramadan Security Bergen Sheriff Meets With County Leaders, Local Law Enforcement To Review Ramadan Security
Bergen Sheriff Meets With County Leaders, Local Law Enforcement To Review Ramadan Security In preparation for Ramadan, Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton coordinated a briefing to discuss public safety precautions. Attending were Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, Freeholder Vice-Chair Mary Amoroso, Acting Prosecutor Dennis Calo, faith leaders from Bergen County mosques and local law enforcement personnel. Ramadan,  the most sacred month of the year in Islamic culture, begins at sundown this Sunday evening, May 5.  Although there was no current or specific threat, Cureton said he will deploy additional patrols to mosques and other potentially sensitive locations during the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Grief For Family Of Boy Struck, Killed Crossing Rt 208 In Rain, Dark, For Officer Driving Grief For Family Of Boy Struck, Killed Crossing Rt 208 In Rain, Dark, For Officer Driving
Grief For Family Of Boy Struck, Killed Crossing Rt 208 In Rain, Dark, For Officer Driving UPDATE: It's an unimaginable tragedy all around -- for the family of a 12-year-old boy who inexplicably tried crossing the Route 208 median in Fair Lawn with his older brother in the rainy darkness, as well as for the highly-respected Bergen County sheriff's officer whose vehicle struck and killed the youngster. Christian Tawadros, who was in a special education program at the Thomas Jefferson Middle School, had joined his 7th-grade brother and two friends to go out to eat, a source with direct knowledge of the incident said. The older boy "took Christian everywhere with him," the person sa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Law Enforcement Ramps Up Security For Passover Bergen Law Enforcement Ramps Up Security For Passover
Bergen Law Enforcement Ramps Up Security For Passover With Passover coming, Bergen County's top law enforcement officials convened with their counterparts from the towns and community leaders for a public safety briefing in Hackensack. Sheriff Anthony Cureton and Prosecutor Dennis Calo said additional resources wil be deployed synagogues, neighborhoods with higher Jewish populations, and other potentially sensitive locations during the religious holiday, which runs from Friday evening, April 19, to Saturday evening, April 27. As with many major holidays, increased traffic is expected on the roads and at shopping centers. In addition, law enfor…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Prosecutor's Detective Nabs Paterson Pair With 45+ Pounds Of Coke On Route 80, Feds Say Bergen Prosecutor's Detective Nabs Paterson Pair With 45+ Pounds Of Coke On Route 80, Feds Say
Bergen Prosecutor's Detective Nabs Paterson Pair With 45+ Pounds Of Coke On Route 80, Feds Say Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives nabbed two Paterson men with more than 45 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop, federal authorities said Thursday. Carlos Nieves and Yocadis Montas-Cepeda, both 24, were handed over to federal agents for prosecution, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. The pair were arrested on their way from Paterson to the Bronx last November after a detective with the prosecutor’s Narcotics Task Force stopped their Kia Sorrento on eastbound Route 80 for having tinted windows. The officer received consent to search the vehicle after learning that Nieves had been b…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Uber Driver Sexually Assaulted Female Fare In Alpine, Authorities Charge Uber Driver Sexually Assaulted Female Fare In Alpine, Authorities Charge
Uber Driver Sexually Assaulted Female Fare In Alpine, Authorities Charge Authorities armed with lab results arrested an Uber driver from Brooklyn who they said sexually assaulted a female fare in Alpine last year. Dearan Bennett, 36, remained held in the Bergen County Jail following his arrest Tuesday on sexual assault charges, records show. Alpine police responded to a 911 call of the assault last June 1, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Wednesday. Detectives from Calo’s Special Victims Unit and the Alpine Police Department investigated, leading to Bennett’s arrest. A judge on Wednesday ordered that Bennett remain held pending a detention hear…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Englewood Man Charged With Murder In Shooting Death Of Hackensack Man Outside Bogota Bar Englewood Man Charged With Murder In Shooting Death Of Hackensack Man Outside Bogota Bar
Englewood Man Charged With Murder In Shooting Death Of Hackensack Man Outside Bogota Bar An Englewood man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a Hackensack man during a confrontation between two groups outside a Bogota bar. Talek Lawson, 23, also was charged with weapons offenses after authorities said he gunned down 28-year-old Dakota Johnson with a shot in the chest outside Buddy's Place on Fort Lee Road around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. Justin Dula, 20 of Englewood, was charged with aggravated assault in connection with the brawl, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced. Johnson, a 28-year-old father of two who'd only just been released from prison …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Englewood Man Charged With Murder In Shooting Of Hackensack Man Outside Bogota Bar UPDATE: Englewood Man Charged With Murder In Shooting Of Hackensack Man Outside Bogota Bar
Update: Englewood Man Charged With Murder In Shooting Of Hackensack Man Outside Bogota Bar An Englewood man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a Hackensack man during a confrontation between two groups outside a Bogota bar. Talek Lawson, 23, also was charged with weapons offenses after authorities said he gunned down 28-year-old Dakota Johnson with a shot in the chest outside Buddy's Place on Fort Lee Road around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. Justin Dula, 20 of Englewood, was charged with aggravated assault in connection with the brawl, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced. Johnson, a 28-year-old father of two who'd only just been released from prison …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NJ Bail Reform Strikes Again: Judge Frees Fair Lawn Woman Accused Of Shooting Man In Face NJ Bail Reform Strikes Again: Judge Frees Fair Lawn Woman Accused Of Shooting Man In Face
NJ Bail Reform Strikes Again: Judge Frees Fair Lawn Woman Accused Of Shooting Man In Face Police were shocked to learn that a Fair Lawn woman charged with attempted murder after authorities said she shot a man in the face was released from jail over the weekend. Sharese Peeples spent nine days in the Bergen County Jail before a judge ordered her release with conditions, pending further court action, under New Jersey's 2017 bail reform law. "We’re usually quiet about this stuff, but the [law enforcement community] is just shocked," one said. "We get that there are people who can't afford bail, and so [bail reform] lets them stay out and work," the officer told Daily Voice. "But …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Drug-Dealing Cliffside Imposter Caught With Gun, Bogus Documents, $21,650 In Cash Prosecutor: Drug-Dealing Cliffside Imposter Caught With Gun, Bogus Documents, $21,650 In Cash
Prosecutor: Drug-Dealing Cliffside Imposter Caught With Gun, Bogus Documents, $21,650 In Cash Nearly 15 years after he was last busted for ID theft, a drug dealer who used a stolen identity to rent a Cliffside Park apartment was caught with fraudulently obtained credit cards, counterfeit driver’s licenses, a credit card skimming device, pot, $21,650 in suspected proceeds and a .45 caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point ammunition, authorities said. Obiajulu Ntukogu, 42, was arrested at his Carlyle Towers apartment with Nicole Khemraj, a 32-year-old student from Queens who was carrying a bogus driver’s license and phony credit cards, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said.…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: DWI Driver Jailed In Route 4 Rollover Crash UPDATE: DWI Driver Jailed In Route 4 Rollover Crash
Update: DWI Driver Jailed In Route 4 Rollover Crash UPDATE: A Fair Lawn motorist was charged with aggravated assault, DWI and reckless driving for an overnight crash on Route 4 in Paramus that left another driver in critical condition. The victim was driving a 2006 Jeep Cherokee that struck from behind in the westbound highway's center lane by a 2011 Audi A4 driven by 24-year-old Herbert Reynoso, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo. Vladimir Diaz, whose Jeep struck a utility pole, was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where Calo said he was listed in critical condition.  Reynoso’s sedan continued more than 250 yards bef…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Caller To Paramus Catholic HS Threatened 'Gun Violence And Bomb Threats' Prosecutor: Caller To Paramus Catholic HS Threatened 'Gun Violence And Bomb Threats'
Prosecutor: Caller To Paramus Catholic HS Threatened 'Gun Violence And Bomb Threats' Two calls to Paramus Catholic High School “threatening gun violence and bomb threats” were made by a Georgia man, said authorities who arrested him. Marquise Jaquavis Smith, 18, Of Winterville, GA surrendered last week to face charges of making terroristic threats and causing a false public alarm, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Tuesday. Smith made the threats on May 10 "using technology to disguise his calling line identity," Calo said. "First responders cleared the school building and determined that the calls were bogus," the prosecutor said. No mot…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
$57G Seized From Couple Driving Through Fort Lee; Charged With Money Laundering $57G Seized From Couple Driving Through Fort Lee; Charged With Money Laundering
$57G Seized From Couple Driving Through Fort Lee; Charged With Money Laundering A Jersey City couple is facing money laundering charges after authorities found more than $57,000 in a secret compartment in their SUV during a Fort Lee motor vehicle stop. Ernie Sosa, a 33-year-old roofer, and Xiomara Castillo, a 32-year-old Uber driver, were arrested and charged with one count of money laundering, a third degree crime, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said. The arrests are the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti. The couple was released pending a first appearance…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Prosecutor Finds Rampant Violations: Palisades Parkway PD Chief Suspended Prosecutor Finds Rampant Violations: Palisades Parkway PD Chief Suspended
Prosecutor Finds Rampant Violations: Palisades Parkway PD Chief Suspended The chief of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department was suspended for 90 days and will likely have to attend management training courses when he returns, according to a scathing report from Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo's office that uncovered a host of violations -- many that fell short of being criminal. Although the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commision imposed the suspension on Chief Michael Coppola beginning this Monday, the prosecutor also "strongly advise[d]" that it direct him to attend specialized training, as well. "We also strongly advise…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Man Whose Body Was Found At Home Of NY Giants Player Lived There UPDATE: Man Whose Body Was Found At Home Of NY Giants Player Lived There
Update: Man Whose Body Was Found At Home Of NY Giants Player Lived There UPDATE: The brother of New York Giants player Janoris Jenkins killed a friend in the family’s Fair Lawn home, then fled to upstate New York – where he was arrested on a parole violation, authorities said Thursday. Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo -- who announced the arrest on Wednesday of William H. Jenkins Jr., 34, of Fair Lawn -- said Thursday that he and fellow music producer Roosevelt "Trypps Beatz" Rene, a Spring Valley native, got into an argument early Monday that “resulted in Rene’s death.” Although Calo didn’t specify how Rene was killed, the charge against Je…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Retiree Charged With Sexually Abusing Elmwood Park Child Retiree Charged With Sexually Abusing Elmwood Park Child
Retiree Charged With Sexually Abusing Elmwood Park Child A retiree inappropriately touched a child in Elmwood Park, authorities charged. Leo Sarno, 67, was ordered held in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing this Monday. The former Lodi resident is charged with sexual assault and child endangerment. Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Sarno was arrested Wednesday, a little over a week after Elmwood Park police and investigators from his office were notified of the alleged incident.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: MA Man Gets Off Bus In Fort Lee With 1½+ Lbs Fentanyl, Heroin Prosecutor: MA Man Gets Off Bus In Fort Lee With 1½+ Lbs Fentanyl, Heroin
Prosecutor: MA Man Gets Off Bus In Fort Lee With 1½+ Lbs Fentanyl, Heroin Investigators were waiting when a Massachusetts man got off a bus in Fort Lee carrying more than a pound and a little over an ounce of heroin, authorities said. Jose Rodriguez-Quinonez, a 37-year-old self-employed painter, remained held in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing Tuesday. He was arrested Friday after Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said his detectives got a tip that Rodriguez-Quinonez was headed from Dorchester, MA to Fort Lee by bus carrying the drugs for sale. He was charged with possession of both with the intent to distribute them. Calo thanked F…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Garfield Pet Shop Drug Ring Had 56+ Pounds Of Pot, Weapons Prosecutor: Garfield Pet Shop Drug Ring Had 56+ Pounds Of Pot, Weapons
Prosecutor: Garfield Pet Shop Drug Ring Had 56+ Pounds Of Pot, Weapons Detectives found 56 pounds of pot, five rifles and two shotguns at a Garfield pet grooming shop while arresting five accused members of a drug-dealing operation during a series of raids. They also found an assault weapon, a revolver, ammunition and three high-capacity ammo magazines at the Passaic home of one of the alleged crew members, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Thursday. Calo’s detectives arrested three people connected to Happy Pet Tails on River Drive, including a Garfield couple, 31-year-old Jennifer M. Santos and Carlos M. Gutierrez, 30, following an investigati…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Englewood Promoter Shipped Thousands Of Pot Pounds To Bergen Prosecutor: Englewood Promoter Shipped Thousands Of Pot Pounds To Bergen
Prosecutor: Englewood Promoter Shipped Thousands Of Pot Pounds To Bergen An entertainment producer from Englewood shipped thousands of pounds of marijuana for sale hidden in musical speakers from the West Coast to Bergen and Westchester counties, said authorities who busted him and two accused accomplices in a special operation. Oscar Holguin, 38, was arrested in Carteret, where authorities said he was assisted by 27-year-old barmaid Natalie Stojano. Also busted were Holguin’s girlfriend, Paula Amador, 29, also of Englewood, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said. Detectives from Calo’s office “received a tip from a concerned citizen regarding suspici…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Prosecutor: Local Police Save 7 OD Victims With Narcan In Five Days Bergen Prosecutor: Local Police Save 7 OD Victims With Narcan In Five Days
Bergen Prosecutor: Local Police Save 7 OD Victims With Narcan In Five Days Local police officers in several Bergen County towns used Narcan to save the lives of seven overdose victims in five days, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Wednesday. Calo listed the saves: Last Wednesday: Lyndhurst, 45-year-old man; Thursday: Fort Lee, 52-year-old woman; Friday: Oakland, 25-year-old man; Saturday (2): Elmwood Park, 33-year-old victim, Hackensack, 27-year-old man; Sunday: Wallington, 38-year-old man; Monday: Old Tappan, 30-year-old woman. As of Wednesday, Calo said, local police used Narcan to save 76 overdose victims. Over that same period, 15 users have …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Jeweler From River Vale Fenced $1.25M In Stolen Bling Prosecutor: Jeweler From River Vale Fenced $1.25M In Stolen Bling
Prosecutor: Jeweler From River Vale Fenced $1.25M In Stolen Bling RIVER VALE, N.J. – A jeweler from River Vale fenced $275,000 worth of bling from an Englewood jewelry store and $1,000,000 worth from one in Westchester County for a tri-state area burglary crew, authorities said Friday. Frank Lashvili, 56, remained held Friday in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing Monday in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said. He's charged with fencing, receiving stolen property and accomplice liability. Also arrested were two 55-year-old Brooklyn men: Kevin Lyde, a spiritual rehabilitation couns…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Prosecutor: 'Helping Hand' Continues To Reach Opioid Addicts Bergen Prosecutor: 'Helping Hand' Continues To Reach Opioid Addicts
Bergen Prosecutor: 'Helping Hand' Continues To Reach Opioid Addicts HACKENSACK, N.J. – More than three dozen heroin users arrested in Bergen County over a four-day period got more than summonses to appear in court: They were each also offered the opportunity to connect with a recovering addict who could one day help save his or her life. Of the 37 users given the chance, 19 of those charged with heroin agreed to work with a “recovery specialist” -- – a recovering addict who has remained clean and knows how to help them find treatment, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said. A dozen of them completed 5-day detox and had long-term treatment options …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Bergen Woman Foils 'Phantom Debt' Phone Scam Bergen Woman Foils 'Phantom Debt' Phone Scam
Bergen Woman Foils 'Phantom Debt' Phone Scam HACKENSACK, N.J. – The scammer on the other end of the line tried sounding like a detective, telling a would-be victim from Bergen County that she’d better pay just under $600 or she’d be arrested. But the target was smart: She hung up and called the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Some people aren’t as wise, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said Wednesday, issuing a warning about “phantom debt” scams. “A phantom debt scam involves criminals impersonating law firms, judges, court officials, or debt collectors who send out threatening letters, or make threatening phone calls a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Twins Charged In Route 46 Hit-Run Death Of Teaneck Man, 28 UPDATE: Twins Charged In Route 46 Hit-Run Death Of Teaneck Man, 28
Update: Twins Charged In Route 46 Hit-Run Death Of Teaneck Man, 28 (UPDATE) A Lodi driver trying to beat a light struck and killed a 28-year-old Teaneck man with his car as he crossed Route 46 near the Teterboro Walmart last month, then was picked up by his twin brother, authorities confirmed Wednesday. Brandon Bialek, 32, remained held Wednesday in the Bergen County Jail, charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death and hindering his apprehension by suppressing evidence, as Daily Voice originally reported Tuesday night. He has a detention hearing scheduled this Friday. His brother, Brian Bialek -- a New Jersey transit maintenanc…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
SEE ANYTHING? Help Sought In Carlstadt Hit-Run That Left Woman Critical SEE ANYTHING? Help Sought In Carlstadt Hit-Run That Left Woman Critical
SEE Anything? Help Sought In Carlstadt Hit-Run That Left Woman Critical CARLSTADT, N.J. -- Authorities on Thursday asked the public to help find the driver who struck a woman crossing a Carlstadt street Monday night, leaving her in critical condition. The victim was crossing Washington Avenue near Avenue Awhen she was struck by a northbound Nissan Murano -- model year 2003 to 2007 -- just after 6 p.m., Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said. The vehicle swerved after it struck her and continued northbound without stopping, witnesses said. The victim "suffered serious injuries that required surgery" and was listed in critical but stable cond…

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by Jerry DeMarco